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bureaucracy
According to Max Weber, a hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization, operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality. They govern states.
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patronage
one of the key inducements used by political machines. a patronage job, promotion, or contract is one that is given for political reasons rather than for merit or competence alone. compare civil service and the merit principle.
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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.
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civil service
a system of hiring and promotion based on the merit principle and the desire to create a nonpartisan government service.
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merit principle
the idea that hiring should be based on entrance exams and promotion ratings to produce administration by people with talent and skill
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Hatch Act
a federal law prohibiting government employees from active participation in partisan politics
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Office of Personal Management
the office in charge of hiring for most agencies of the federal government, using elaborate rules in the process.
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GS (General Schedule) rating
A schedule for federal employees, ranging from GS 1 to GS 18, by which salaries can be keyed to rating and experience
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Senior Executive Service
an elite cadre of about 9,000 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
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independent regulatory commission
a government agency responsible for some sector of the economy, making and enforcing rules to protect the public interest. it also judges disputes over these rules
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government corporation
a government organization that, like business corporations, provides a service that could be provided by the private sector and typically charges for its services. the US Postal Service is an example. Compare independent regulatory agency and independent executive agency.
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independent executive agency
the government not accounted for by cabinet departments, independent regulatory commissions, and government corporations. its administrators are typically appointed by the president and serve at the president's pleasure. NASA is an example.
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policy implementation
the stage of policymaking between the establishment of a policy and the consequences of the policy for the people whom it affects. it involves translating the goals and objectives of a policy into an operating, ongoing program.
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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. see also administrative discretion.
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administrative discretion
the authority of administrative actors to select among various responses to a given problem. it is greatest when routines, or standard operating procedures, do not fit a case.
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street-level bureaucrats
a phrase coined by Michael Libsky, referring to those bureaucrats who are in constant contact with the public and have considerable administration discretion
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regulation
the use of governmental authority to control or change some practice in the private sector. they pervade the daily lives of people and institutions.
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deregulation
the lifting of restrictions of business, industry, and professional activities for which government rules had been established and that bureaucracies had been created to administer
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command-and-control policy
the typical system of regulation whereby government tells business how to reach certain goals, checks that these commands are followed, and punishes offenders. compare incentive system
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incentive system
According to Charles Schultze, a more effective and efficient policy than command-and-control; in the incentive system, marketlike strategies are used to manage public policy
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executive orders
Regulations originating from the executive branch. they are one method presidents can use to control the bureaucracy.
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iron triangles
a mutually dependent relationship between bureaucratic agencies, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees. they dominate some areas of domestic policymaking
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