AP Gov Bureaucracy

the concept that government officials are responsible to and serve at the pleasure of constituents or elected officials (and that they may be removed from office by those electors or officials)

- a quasi-judicial process in which a bureaucratic agency settles disputes between two parties in a manner similar to the way courts resolve disputes
-referred to as quasi judicial because law making by anyone other than congress and adjudication by anyone other than judiciary would be a violation of separation of powers.

The ability of bureaucrats to make choices concerning the best way to implement congressional intentions. Allows decision makers a lot of leeway. It is exercised through rule making and administrative adjudication

A set of complex hierarchical departments, agencies, commissions and their staffs that exist to help a chief executive officer carry out his or her duties. Bureaucracies may be private organization of governmental units.

15 total of various size, status, visibility, and function. They all advise the President, help execute/implement programs; have broad responsibility. Examples: State (the most prestigious. The diplomats), Defense: biggest, HHS, Agriculture, Commerce, Homeland Security, Attorney General.

Civil Service system- the system created by civil service laws by which many appointments to the federal bureaucracy are made

the extent to which appointed bureaucrats can choose coarses of action and make policies that are not spelled out in advance by laws

occurs when two government agencies seem to be doing the same thing, such as when the Customs Service and the Drug Enforcement Administration both attempt to intercept illegally smuggled drugs.

1993 liberalizaion of the Hatch Act. Federal employees are now allowed to run for office in nonpartisan elections and to contribute money to campaigns in partisan elections.

business established by congress to perform functions that can be provided by private businesses. Dating from the 1930s corporations are formed when the government chooses to engage in activities that are commercial in nature, produce revenue and require greater flexibility than congress generally allows regular departments. Charge for services, example U.S postal service

a schedule for government employees, ranging from GS 1 to GS18, by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience.

Law enacted in 1939 to prohibit civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns. This act prohibited federal employees from making political contributions, working for a particular party or campaigning for a particular candidate.

the process by which a law or policy is put into operation by the bureaucracy. Happens because congress recognizes that it does not have the time to involve itself in every detail of all programs therefor is sets general guidelines for agency actions.

Governmental unit that closely resembles a Cabinet department but has a narrower area of responsibility and is not part of any cabinet department (such as the Central Intelligence Agency). Less indebted to the president on a day-to day basis than it would be if it were within a cabinet department although the president still has the ability to appoint its director and intervene on high profile decisions

- agencies created by congress to exist outside the major departments to regulate a specific economic activity or interest. Examples include the National labor relation's board the federal reserve board and the federal communications commissions and the securities and exchange commission. Some oversee a certain industry but most are created to be free from partisan political pressure. The president cannot easily remove heads unlike department heads.

the relatively stable relationships and patterns of interaction that occur among an agency, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees ex: Department of Veteran Affairs, the House committee on veteran affairs and the American legion and the veteran of foreign wars

- the loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas- are studied more.

1. a chain command in which authority flows from top to bottom
2. a division of labor whereby work is apportioned among specialized workers to increase productivity
3. Clear lines of authority among workers and their supporters
4. a goal orientation that determines structure, authority and rules
5. Impersonality, whereby all employees are treated fairly based on merit and all clients are served equally without discrimination according to established rules
6. Productivity, whereby all work and actions are evaluated according to established rules.

The office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process.

which is Jobs, grants or other special favors that are given as rewards to friends for their support.

Rutherford Hayes proposed to replace the spoils system with a merit system based on scores and ability. Congress denied this publics response and increasing criticism of the spoils system prompted congress pass the civil service reform act in 1883, more commonly known as the
Pendleton Act-Reform measure that created the Civil Service Commission to administer a partial merit system. The act classified the federal service by grades, to which appointments were made based on the results of a competitive examination. It made it illegal for the federal political appointees to be required to contribute to particular political party.

complex bureaucratic rules and procedures that must be followed to get something done

rules that govern the operation of a particular government program that have the force of law

the firing of public office holders of a defeated political party and their replacement with loyalists of the newly elected party.
The spoils system was apart of patronage. Spoils system reached its peak during Lincoln presidency

- a quasi-legislative administrative process that has the characteristics of a legislative act.
Regulations are the rules that govern the operation of all government programs and have the force of law. So rule makers act as both lawmakers and law enforcers when they make rules or draft regulations to implement various congressional statutes. "Single most important function performed by agencies of government"
1946 administrative procedures act established rule-making procedures to give everyone the chance to participate in the process. It requires
1. public notice of the time, place and nature of the rule making proceedings be provided in the federal register
2. interested parties be given the opportunity to submit written arguments and facts relevant to the rule
3. the statutory purpose and basis of the rule be states. Ones rules are written, thirty fays generally must elapse before they take effect.

The core function of the bureaucracy -- to carry out the decisions of Congress, the president, or the courtsCarry out & administer policy decisions made by Congress.

Determining who is right in a dispute and how the law should be applied in any given instancenforce rules and determine compliance.

the system by which federal civil service jobs are classified into grades or levels, to which appointments are made on the basis of performance on competitive examinationsSpoils system reached its peak during Lincoln presidency
Rutherford Hayes proposed to replace the spoils system with a merit system based on scores and ability. Congress denied this