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Bureaucracy
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A system of managing government through departments run by appointed officials
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Compliance monitoring
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making sure the firms and companies that are subject to industry regulations are following those standards and provisions
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Iron triangle
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The three-way alliance among legislators, bureaucrats, and interest groups to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective interests
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Issue networks
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The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas
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Pendleton Civil Service Act (1883)
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provided that federal government jobs be awarded on the basis of merit and that government employees be selected through competitive exams. The act also made it unlawful to fire or demote for political reasons employees who were covered by the law
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Delegated discretionary authority
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An agency's ability to decide whether or not to take certain courses of action when implementing existing laws
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Independent regulatory agency
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An agency outside the major executive departments charged with making and implementing rules and regulations
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Appropriations
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the amounts of money approved by Congress in statutes (bills) that each unit or agency of government can spend
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Congressional oversight
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the review, monitoring, and supervision of federal agencies, programs and policy implementation, and it provides the legislative branch with an opportunity to inspect, examine, review and check the executive branch and its agencies
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Whistleblower Protection Act (1989)
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A law passed which created an Office of Special Counsel to investigate complaints from bureaucrats claiming they were punished after reporting to Congress about waste, fraud, or abuse in their agencies.