Chapter 14 InQuizitive: The Bureaucracy

Complete the following statement In 1883, the __________ was passed to create the merit system for staffing the bureaucracy. It required bureaucratic personnel to be qualified based on ____________

-Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act -competitive examinations

Order the stages of the lawmaking and implementation process.

1) Congress passes a law 2) the relevant agencies study the law and propose rules to guide implementation 3) the proposed rule is published in the Federal Register by the Office of Management and Budget 4) the public comments on the proposed rule 5) the agency proposes the final rule 6) the final rule is published in the Federal Register

Almost one out of five federal employees work outside of Washington, D.C. (true or false)

False (Feedback: Nearly four out of five federal employees work outside of Washington, D.C.)

Which of these accurately describes the bureaucracy and what it does?

Correct Answers: -implements laws passed by Congress and the president -interprets laws -employs experts Incorrect Answers: -ensures the president's agenda is enacted

Which of the following are ways that oversight of the bureaucracy can occur?

Correct Answers: -congressional hearings held about specific agencies -members of Congress carrying out casework -Freedom of Information Act requests submitted by the public Incorrect Answers: -the president firing disobedient civil servants

Which example illustrates the principal-agent problem?

After Congress passed the Paycheck Protection Program, the Small Business Administration came under fire; the program was intended to give loans to small businesses, but several large corporate chains received funds, crowding out others

How can politicians and interest groups influence the rule-making process?

All are Correct Answers: -The courts can change the way the bureaucracy interprets a congressional action. -Interest groups can comment on a proposed rule in the period leading up to its implementation. -Presidents can tell the bureaucracy how to interpret a law. -Congress can write a bill that gives the bureaucracy little discretion in how it is implemented.

Which statement about the design of bureaucratic agencies is correct?

Congress and the president generally have less control over independent agencies such as the Consumer Protection Financial Bureau that have automatic funding. (Feedback: This has been a source of contention among elected officials who argue the CPFB has too much independence and lacks accountability.)

The structure and design of bureaucratic agencies has implications for control over their activities. Which of the following statements are correct?

Correct Answers: -Agencies headed by boards with bipartisan members are more independent from the president and Congress. -The president has greater control over agencies located within the executive compared to independent agencies. Incorrect Answers: -Independent agencies and regulatory commissions are completely insulated from politics. -Independent agencies are less insulated from Congress than executive departments since Congress determines their budget.

Which of the following statements accurately describe the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)?

Correct Answers: -Agencies must comply with the requests unless they fall under one of nine exemptions, which concern issues such as personal privacy, national security, or law enforcement. -FOIA requests can sometimes prompt congressional oversight and investigation when agency misbehavior is revealed. -It has uncovered information that paints government agencies in a negative light. Incorrect Answers: -It forces agencies to reveal classified information.

Identify the correct and incorrect statements regarding the federal bureaucracy.

Correct Answers: -Congress has the power of oversight over the bureaucracy. -The U.S. Constitution does not explicitly mention the bureaucracy -Under Article II, Section 2, the president is given the power to nominate officers of the United States. Incorrect Answers: -The president and Congress lack sufficient control over the bureaucracy.

Which of the following agencies were created by Congress to give members information independent of that provided by the executive branch?

Correct Answers: -Congressional Budget Office -Congressional Research Service -Government Accountability Office Incorrect Answers: -Office of Management and Budget -Federal Reserve

Which of the following groups or organizations can initiate oversight of executive branch bureaucracy?

Correct Answers: -Congressional Budget Office -congressional committees -private citizens -individual members of Congress Incorrect Answers: -Supreme Court

What did the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 do?

Correct Answers: -It created the Merit Systems Protection Board to defend competitive and merit-based recruitment and promotion of civil servants. -It set up the Federal Labor Relations Authority to administer collective bargaining and to address individual personnel grievances. -It created the Office of Personnel Management to manage the recruiting, testing, and training of federal employees. Incorrect Answers: -It created the Political Appointments Board to manage the president's appointments for top bureaucratic positions.

How did the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, influence the federal agencies that provide national security?

Correct Answers: -It led to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security. -It shifted the responsibility of domestic agencies from investigating crime to preventing terrorism. Incorrect Answers: -It reduced inter-agency rivalries after the attack. -It marked the end of a period of domestic intelligence gathering.

How do privatization and contracting influence government?

Correct Answers: -Privatization downsizes government. -The reliance on contractors raises a variety of challenges with oversight and accountability. Incorrect Answers: -Contracting always leads to lower costs. -Contractors are generally more skilled and have greater expertise than career bureaucrats.

Identify the correct and incorrect statements concerning federal bureaucrats.

Correct Answers: -The Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act replaced the spoils system with a merit-based system. -Not all political appointees require Senate confirmation. Incorrect Answers: -Bureaucrats serve at the pleasure of the president and can be fired without cause. -Bureaucrats have little power due to congressional oversight.

Identify the correct and incorrect statements concerning the federal bureaucracy.

Correct Answers: -The Senior Executive Service (SES) is intended to foster "public management" as a profession yet does not carry civil service protections. -Only about 1,000 of the nearly 4,000 political appointees to bureaucracies require Senate confirmation. -Presidents can use political appointments to send messages about their management style or expectations of government. Incorrect Answers: -The Pendleton Act outlawed political appointments for bureaucratic agencies.

Which of the following statements about the size and growth of the federal bureaucracy are accurate?

Correct Answers: -The federal civilian workforce has decreased over the last 60 years. -Several recent presidents have made a point of campaigning against the size of the federal workforce. Incorrect Answers: -The federal workforce has nearly doubled because of programs like health care and education reform. -Although the federal workforce has stayed relatively the same in numbers, it has grown as a percentage of the population.

The trend in congressional oversight has been toward more "police patrol" oversight, and less "fire alarm" oversight. (true or false)

False (Feedback:Recently, Congress has been more likely to respond to public outcry to a problem than investigate and address an issue before the problem emerges.)

Indicate whether the following activities are a responsibility of the Treasury Department ("Treasury") or the Federal Reserve ("Fed").

Treasury: -collects taxes through the Internal Revenue Service -printing currency Federal Reserve: -administering monetary policy -regulating bank lending activities

Inspectors general are housed within agencies and audit agency operations for Congress to uncover cases of waste, fraud, or misconduct. (true or false)

True (Feedback: Because Congress has many time-consuming tasks, the inspectors general provide an additional avenue for oversight beyond what Congress performs.)

Which of the following is an example of a revenue agency?

the Internal Revenue Service (Feedback: The IRS is the nation's largest and most important revenue agency.)