APAG Ch. 14 The Bureaucracy

1. APAG Ch. 14 The Bureaucracy Assignment 1 PP. 422-429

2. What happened to federal bureaucrats before 1883? After 1883? Why?

3. Before 1883, most bureaucrats were fired by each new administration in order to appoint their own supporters. • After the Civil Service Reform Act of 1883 was passed, it became very difficult to fire bureaucrats.

4. What is the watchdog agency for the federal government? Who is the head?

5. The General Accounting Office (GAO) • The head of the agency is the Inspector General.

6. What is the “fourth branch of government”? What is its definition?

7. The bureaucracy is considered the “fourth branch of the government.” • A bureaucracy is a large organization that is structured hierarchically to carry out specific functions.

8. What are the differences between private and public bureaucracies?

9. A private bureaucracy has a single set of leaders, its board of directors, and serves the stockholders. • The public bureaucracy has Congress and the president as its leaders and it serves the citizens. • A private bureaucracy is organized to make a profit.

10. The public bureaucracy is non-profit.

11. Describe the three models of bureaucracy.

12. Weberian Model – developed by the German sociologist, Max Weber, who viewed bureaucracies as rational, hierarchical organizations in which power flows from the top downward and decisions are based on logical reasoning and data analysis.

13. Acquisitive Model – a model of bureaucracy that views top-level bureaucrats as seeking constantly to expand the size of their budgets and the staffs of their departments or agencies so as to gain greater power and influence in the public sector.

14. Monopolistic Model – a model of bureaucracy that compares bureaucracies to monopolistic business firms. Lack of competition within a bureaucracy leads to inefficient and costly operations. Because bureaucracies are not penalized for inefficiency, there is no incentive to reduce costs or use resources more productively.

15. Why do American bureaucrats operate with more autonomy than other countries?

16. The sheer size of the government organizations needed to implement a budget that exceeds $2 trillion dollars needs autonomy to function. • National bureaucracies regularly provide financial assistance to their state counterparts, whereas European countries have a top-down command structure so that national programs may be implemented directly at the lower level.

17. What entities are more commonly owned by the government in European countries?

18. Telephone companies, airlines, railroads, and utilities are more commonly owned by the government in European countries.

19. What percentage of all civilian employment is accounted for by government?

20. More than 15%.

21. What was the share of the GNP accounted for by all government in 1920? Today?

22. In 1920, 8.5%. • Today, more than 40%.

23. What are the four major types of bureaucratic structures under the executive branch?

24. (1) cabinet departments • (2) independent executive agencies • (3) independent regulatory agencies • (4) government corporations

25. How many cabinet departments are under the president? What was the latest added?

26. 15 cabinet departments • Homeland Security was the latest.

27. What is an independent executive agency? List 3 major ones.

28. An independent Executive Agency is a federal agency that is not part of a cabinet department but reports directly to the president, who appoints their chief officials. • CIA, GSA, NSF, SBA, NASA, and EPA are all examples.