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Federal Bureaucracy Quiz

Terms in this set (52)

Administrative Discretion
Authority given by Congress to the federal bureaucracy to use reasonable judgment in implementing the laws.
Attorney General
Administrative head of justice department
Bureaucracy
A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
Cabinet
Advisory council for the president consisting of the heads of the executive departments, the vice president, and a few other officials selected by the president.
Chester A. Arthur
President who reformed civil service by being a proponent to the Pendleton Act
Civil Service
A system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service.
Clean Air Act
1970- law that established national standards for states, strict auto emissions guidelines, and regulations, which set air pollution standards for private industry
Command-and-Control Policy
The typical system of regulation whereby government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks that these commands are followed, and punishes offenders
Council of Economic Advisers
A three-member body appointed by the president to advise the president on economic policy.
Department
A collection of federal agencies that reports to a secretary who serves in the president's cabinet
Department of Homeland Security
US federal agency created in 2002 to coordinate national efforts against terrorism. Sprouted from
Deregulation
A policy promoting cutbacks in the amount of Federal regulation in specific areas of economic activity.
Dwight D. Eisenhower
Gave a farewell address forewarning about the military-industrial complex
Emergency Powers
Broad powers exercised by the president during times of national crisis
Environmental Protection Agency
1970 - An independent federal agency established to coordinate programs aimed at reducing pollution and protecting the environment
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission
An agency to protect the equal right of all citizens to the opportunity to obtain employment regardless of their gender, age, race, country of origin, religion, or disabilities.
Executive Order
A rule or regulation issued by the president that has the effect of law.
Federal Communications Commission
An independent regulatory commission charged with licensing stations, Government agency that regulates the communications industry
Federal Emergency Management Agency
An independent agency of the United States government that provides a single point of accountability for all federal emergency preparedness and mitigation and response activities to natural disasters, etc.
Federal Trade Commission
1914 , A government agency established in 1914 to prevent unfair business practices and help maintain a competitive economy, support antitrust suits
Food and Drug Administration
A federal agency in the Department of Health and Human Services established to regulate the release of new foods and health-related products
General Schedule (GS) Rating
A schedule for federal employees, ranging from GS1 to GS18, by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience
George Washington
Farewell Address that warned about factions and foreign alliances. Organized the first Cabinet and advisers, a tradition that all presidents have followed ever since
Hatch Act
1939 - Prohibited federal office holders (bureaucrats) from participating actively in political campaigns or soliciting or accepting contributions.
Incentive System
According to Charles Schultze, a more effective and efficient policy than command-and-control; in this system, market-like strategies are used to manage public policy.
Independent Executive Agency
The government not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory agencies, and government corporations. Its administrators are typically appointed by the president and serve at the president's pleasure. NASA is an example.
Independent Regulatory Commission
Agencies with quasi-judicial responsibilities that are meant to be carried out in a manner free of presidential interference
Interest Group
An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy
Internal Revenue Service
The branch of the U.S. Treasury Department in charge of collecting taxes
Iron Triangle
A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group
Government Corporation
A government organization that, like business corporations, provides a service that could be provided by the private sector and typically charges for its services. The U.S. Postal Service is an example.
Legislative Oversight
Congress' monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings
Lobbying
Communication, by someone other than a citizen acting on his own behalf, directed to a governmental decisionmaker with the hope of influencing his decision.
Meat Inspection Act
1906 - Laid down binding rules for sanitary meat packing and government inspection of meat products crossing state lines. Theodore Roosevelt after reading The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
Merit Principle
The idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill.
Meritocracy
A system in which the talented are chosen and moved ahead on the basis of their achievement
Military-Industrial Complex
Eisenhower first coined this phrase when he warned American against it in his last State of the Union Address. He feared that the combined lobbying efforts of the armed services and industries that contracted with the military would lead to excessive Congressional spending.
National Security Council
An office created in 1947 to coordinate the president's foreign and military policy advisers. Its formal members are the president, vice president, secretary of state, and secretary of defense, and it is managed by the president's national security assistant.
National Security Advisor
Advises the president on policies concerning national security and foreign relations by meeting w/ other security departments (FBI, Secretary of Defense, etc)
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
An agency to ensure employers provide workers with an environment free from dangers to their safety/health
Office of Management and Budget
Executive office responsible for helping the President write the federal budget and monitoring federal spending.
Office of Personnel Management
The office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process.
Patronage
(politics) granting favors or giving contracts or making appointments to office in return for political support
Pendleton Act
1883 law that created a Civil Service Commission and stated that federal employees could not be required to contribute to campaign funds nor be fired for political reasons
Policy Implementation Process
The primary function of the bureaucracy; it refers to the process of carrying out the authoritative decisions of Congress, the president, and the courts.
Pure Food and Drug Act
1906 - Forbade the manufacture or sale of mislabeled or adulterated food or drugs, it gave the government broad powers to ensure the safety and efficacy of drugs in order to abolish the "patent" drug trade. Still in existence as the FDA.
Regulation
A rule or order issued by an executive authority or regulatory agency of a government and having the force of law
Secretary
People in charge of departments that are appointed by the President
Senior Executive Service
An elite cadre of about 9,000 federal government managers, established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, who are mostly career officials but include some political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation.
Standard Operating Procedures
Procedures that are used by bureaucrats to bring uniformity to complex organizations. Uniformity improves fairness and makes personnel interchangeable.
Street-level bureaucrats
Referring to those bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administrative discretion.
White House Chief of Staff
Highest-ranking member of the Executive Office of the President of the United States and a senior aide to the President. This is a very powerful position, sometimes dubbed "The Second-Most Powerful Man in Washington"
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