Chapter 15 questions

National Environmental Policy Act

(1969) Environmental Impact Statements must be done before any project affecting federal lands can be started

Iron Triangle

A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

Bureaucracy

A large, complex organization composed of appointed officials

Open Meeting Law

A law passed in 1976 requiring agency meetings to be open to the public unless certain specified matters are being discussed.

Appropriation

A legislative grant of money to finance a government program or agency

Privacy Act

Act that protects the employment records of federal government employees from disclosure without prior authorization.

How do federal agencies differ from legislative committees?

Agencies develop and implement policies; committees formulate policies.

How does the president exercise his influence over the federal bureaucracy?

Appointing agency directors and subheads (with Senate approval), issuing executive orders compelling an agency to do/not do something, and increasing or decreasing an agency's budget (through the Office of Management and Budget).

Administrative procedure act

Before adopting a new rule or policy, an agency must give notice, solicit comments, and often hold hearings.

How do federal agencies perform their regulatory task of enforcing industry standards?

Field workers, agents, and inspectors are all means federal agencies use to enforce and maintain industry standards. Street-level bureaucracy.

Trust funds

Funds for government programs that are collected and spent outside the regular government budget

Freedom of Information Act

Gives all citizens the right to inspect all records of federal agencies except those containing military, intelligence, or trade secrets; increases accountability of bureaucracy

Why do some people criticize bureaucrats and their political beliefs?

High ranking bureaucrats often think differently about the world than a common American. They are usually from wealthy families and in well paying secure jobs

Why is it hard to fire a bureaucrat? Why has this process been criticized?

It is hard to fire a bureaucrat because of the elaborate steps you have to go through. This process is criticized for being to slow.

list five agencies of the federal bureaucracy

NASA The Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC) U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission The Securities and Exchange Commission Federal Trade Commission

When and how did the govt role change?

Not until of the interstate commerce act did the govt begin to regulate. The govt. now is expected to play a role in dealing with economic and social issues mainly as a result of the Great Depression and WWII.

What are the five major problems of the bureaucracy? Why do they exist? What is waste? Give an example of waste.

Red Tape, Conflict, Duplication, Imperialism and Waste. Waste means spending more than is necessary to buy some product or service. the pentagon paying $91 for screws that cost 3 cents in the hardware store.

What is the main function of the bureaucracy?

The federal bureaucracy performs three primary tasks in government: implementation, administration, and regulation. When Congress passes a law, it sets down guidelines to carry out the new policies. Actually putting these policies into practice is known as implementation.

government's role was initially to "serve" and not to regulate

The govt. initially did research, gathered statistics, dispensed feral lands or passed out benefits. There was still a strong belief of limited govt. and states rights from the constitution. Laissez faire was also a strong belief which held that the govt. should not regulate or interfere with commerce.

How do federal departments receive help from interest groups?

They lobby to Senators and Judges about current cases and issues. Additionally, interest groups can monetarily contribute to leaders of federal departments to sway them in their favor.

Why do conservatives think that some bureaucrats "sabotage" their superiors? Explain how this can and cannot be true.

They think that bureaucrats sabotage their superiors because their jobs are so secure that they can't be fired and don't have to worry.

What was the purpose of the WhistleBlower Protection Act of 1989?

This act protects federal government employees in the United States from retaliatory action for voluntarily disclosing information about dishonest or illegal activities occurring in a government organization.

What is a name-request job? Is this an effective recruiting strategy?

a job filled by a person whom an agency has already identified. No, I don't like it, this is because more qualified candidates might be ignored because they are not friends with the hiring group.

How has member recruitment changed in recent years?

are made by presidential appointments, schedule c appointments and non career executive assignments.

What are some of the complaints surrounding the federal bureaucracy?

bureaucracy is wasteful, spending more than necessary. Also, many think that bureaucracy works too slowly and inefficiently. A third complaint is that bureaucracy requires politicians to jump through too many hoops to accomplish the things they want to do, even simple tasks.

What is the merit system?

hiring people into government jobs on the basis of their qualifications

Authorization legislation

legislative permission to begin or continue a government program or agency

What does your author mean when he states that the bureaucracy is a competitive service? Why has it become decentralized?

officials are appointed based on their merit. The process is now decentralized so that each agency hires its officials without an OPM referral and examinations are less common.

Why is the American bureaucracy different from other bureaucracies abroad?

political authority over the bureaucracy is not in one set of hands but is shared among several institutions, most of the agencies of the federal government share their functions with related agencies in state and local government, and government agencies operate under closer public scrutiny than in almost any other nation.

Explain the characteristics of the typical civil servant.

someone employed by the government to impartially implement their policies and laws. Civil servants often work in areas like health and education.

What is a legislative veto? Why did the Supreme Court declare it unconstitutional? Is it still used today?

the authority of Congress to block a presidential action after it has taken place. The Supreme Court declared it unconstitutional because in Article 1 it is stated that "every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House of Representatives may be necessary" (with certain minor exceptions) "shall be presented to the president of the United States" who must either approve it or return it with his veto attached. However they are still used today.

How has the appointment of officials changed from the early stages of the government to today?

used to be controlled by congressional preferences. They were made on the basis of political interests and patronage. Now they are based on merit.

What was the National Performance Review? What was its goal and how did attempt to fulfill this goal? List four other attempts to change the bureaucracy and explain each.

was a government reform with a goal of less centralized management and more employee initiative, fewer detailed rules and more emphasis on customer satisfaction. Four other attempts include the Brownlow Commission (give the president more assistants), the First Hoover Commission (suggested ways of improving top-level management), the Ash Council (called for consolidating existing agencies into "super-departments"), and the Government Performance and Results Act (required agencies to set goals, measure performance and report on results).