The Bureaucracy AP Government

What is the Federal Reserve Board? (FRB)

A seven-member board that sets member banks reserve requirements, controls the discount rate, and makes other economic decisions.

What is the difference between an independent executive agency and an independent regulatory agency?

An IRA has the public's interests in mind and caters to the citizens. An IEA administrator typically appointed by president and serve at the president's pleasure

What is the Pendleton Act?

An act made to regulate and improve the civil service of the United States.

What is the Federal Communications Commission? (FCC)

An agency of the federal government with authority to develop regulations for the broadcast media.

Explain the theoretical structure of bureaucracy in standard operating procedures.

Bureaucracies function under formal rules. These instructions state how all tasks in the organization, or in a particular tier of the hierarchy, are to be performed. The rules are often called standard operating procedures (SOP) and are formalized in procedures manuals.

Compare & Contrast how conservatives and liberals regard the federal bureaucracy.

Bureaucrats tend to be more liberal than conservative. Consequently, Republicans would rather have less of a bureaucratic presence in government than liberals would.

What advantages do bureaucrats have in the federal government over the president in the policymaking process?

Bureaucrats usually have continuity of service in the executive branch that the president lacks.

How does Congress have control over the federal bureaucracy?

Congress directly regulates the bureaucracy to ensure that they are upholding their obligations and regulations imposed on them and has the power to appropriate funds for a bureaucracy, investigate the administration, and shape laws that are executed by the administration.

What are the relationships between congressional committees, interest groups, and federal agencies?

Congressional committees → bureaucratic agencies: jurisdiction, budget, and promotion bureaucratic agencies → congressional committees: constituents benefits legislative committees → interest groups: access, policy,and appointments (lobbying members of congress) interest groups→ congressional committees: contributions, information interest groups → bureaucratic agencies: programs, contacts, regulations bureaucratic agencies → interest groups: lobbying, jobs

What would be the current direction of our country regarding the federal bureaucracy?

In recent years, our country has been experiencing Bureaucratic failure. Federal spending represents more than one-fifth of the nation's economic output, and federal regulations infiltrate many state, local, and private activities.

What are the responsibilities of the General Accounting Office?

Investigates agencies and policies and makes recommendations on almost every aspect of government - defense contracting, drug enforcement policies. Provides routine financial audits of the money spent by executive branch departments

What is overlapping jurisdiction and why is this considered a criticism?

Overlapping jurisdiction is that it can be exercised simultaneously by more than one court over the same subject matter and within the same territory.

What are some criticisms of the government regulation of businesses?

Public choice theory is one of the main arguments for reducing government interference. It states that public servants in an economy make decisions that benefit themselves the most.

What is the Tennessee Valley Authority?

Tennessee Valley Authority, government corporation to provide inexpensive electric power, flood control, and recreational opportunities to the Tennessee River Valley.

What is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting?

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a non-profit corporation created by an act of the United States Congress and funded by the United States federal government to promote public broadcasting.

1. Does the president control a bureaucratic agency? 2. What powers does he have over bureaucratic agencies? 3. What can he not do in regards to bureaucratic agencies?

The President appoints agency directors and subheads (with Senate approval.) He can also issue executive orders compelling an agency to do/not do something. The President cannot monitor everyone or every group due to the size of the bureaucracy. Also the bureaucracy's expertise in their area of policy over the Congress gives the bureaucrats power.

The bureaucracy exists far from the controls of the public. What does this statement mean?

The ability for bureaucracies to develop their own rules and in many ways control their own budgets has often been a matter of great concern for elected leaders. As a result, elected leaders have employed a number of strategies and devices to control public administrators in the bureaucracy.

What is the Securities & Exchange Commission? (SEC)

The federal agency created during the New Deal that regulates stock fraud.

Why is the bureaucracy sometimes referred to as the "fourth" branch of government and how does this relate to Congress?

The federal bureaucracy is composed of federal employees - the head appointed by the president - who influence the 3 major branches of government. Because of their heavy influence on the branches, the bureaucracy is referred to as the fourth branch.

What is the federal civilian workforce?

The federal civilian workforce is the non-elected and non-military, public sector employees.

What is Amtrak?

The government-funded passenger rail service that operates in the United States, created by Congress in 1970 to operate a national intercity passenger railroad system through contracts with existing railroads.

Who are the cabinet level agencies responsible to?

They are responsible to the President and they advise the President on any subject he may require relating to the duties of each member's respective office.

How does the bureaucracies have quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial powers?

When an Administrative Agency exercises its rule making authority, it is said to act in a quasi-legislative manner. This authority is an exception to the general principle that laws affecting rights should be passed only by elected lawmakers.

What is the U.S. Postal Service?

an independent federal agency that provides mail processing and delivery service for individuals and businesses in the United States.

What is the Interstate Commerce Commission? (ICC)

former independent agency of the U.S. government, established in 1887; it was charged with regulating the economics and services of specified carriers engaged in transportation between states

Why are ineffective bureaucratic programs often difficult to remove?

powerful iron triangles

Explain the theoretical structure of bureaucracy through extensive rules.

the organization is governed by a set of objective laws, rules and procedures as the basis of authority and direction.

What are Iron Triangles?

the policy-making relationship among congressional committees, the bureaucracy, and interest groups.

Explain the theoretical structure of bureaucracy in a hierarchical authority structure.

the structure is hierarchical, which means there are clearly ordered levels of management, where lower levels are subordinate, or answerable, to higher levels.