Chapter 15 Vocab
Terms
undefined, object
copy deck
- Patronage
- One of the key inducements used by political machines; is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone.
- Incentive system
- According to Charles Schultze, a more effective and efficient policy than command and control; in this, market-like strategies are used to manage public policy.
- Bureaucracy
- According to Max Weber, a hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality.
- Independent Executive Agency
- The government not accounted for by the cabinet departments, independent regulatory agencies, and government corporations. Its administrators are typically appointed by the president and serve at the president's pleasure. NASA is an example
- Street Level Bureaucrats
- A phrased coined by Michael Lipsky, referring to those bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administrative discretion.
- Administrative Discretion
- The authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem.
- Senior Executive Service (SES)
- An elite cadre of about 9000 federal government managers, established by the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978, who are mostly career officials but include some political appointees who do not require Senate confirmation.
- Office of Personnel Management (OPM)
- The office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process.
- Command and Control Policy
- According to Charles Schultze, the existing system of regulation whereby government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks that theses commands are followed, and punishes offenders.
- Standard Operating Procedures
- Better known as SOPs, these procedures are used by bureaucrats to bring uniformity to complex organizations. Uniformity improves fairness and makes personnel interchangeable.
- Regulation
- The use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector.
- Regulation Orders
- Regulations originating from the executive branch, are one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy.
- Civil Service
- A system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service
- Merit Principle
- The idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill.
- Government Corporation
- A government organization that, like busibess corporations, provides a service that could be provided by the private sector and typically charges for its services. The U.S. Postal Service is an example.
- Independent Regulatory Agency
- A government agency responsible for some sector of the economy, making and enofrcing rules to protect the public interest. It also judges disputes over these rules.
- Hatch Act
- A federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics.
- Iron Triangles
- A mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees.
- Policy Implementation
- The stage of policymaking between the establishment of a policy and the consequences of the policy for the people whom it affects. Implementation involves translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program.
- Pendleton Civil Service Act
- Passed in 1883, an Act that created a federal civil service so that hiring and promotion would be based on merit rather than patronage
- General Scheduling (GS) Rating
- A schedule for federal employees, ranging from GS 1 to GS 18, by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience.
- Deregulation
- The lifting of restrictions on business, industry, and professional activities for which government rules had been established and that bureaucracies had been created to administer.