Unit 4C Chapter Notes: The Bureaucracy

Chapter 14
25 Homework Points
Directions: Read chapter 14 in the textbook and answer the following questions. Pay attention to the vocab list at the end of each
chapter. While not every term will appear in the questions, those are words you are responsible for knowing as they will be used in
class discussions, on tests, and in reading assignments.

1. Define bureaucracy. Bureaucracy is a hierarchical authority structure that uses task specialization,
operates on the merit principle, and behaves with impersonality.

2. Explain how the

Pendleton Civil Service
Act ended a system of
patronage.

3. Explain how the Hatch

Act checks the power of
civil service employees.

4. Describe the role Office

of Personnel Management
(OPM) in civil service.

5. Describe the factors a

president should consider
when selecting political
appointees.

6. Describe characteristics Number of Cabinet departments:

and roles of the president’s
Cabinet. How Cabinet Secretaries are hired:

Purpose of the Cabinet:

7. Explain the responsibility
of independent regulatory
commissions in the US
government.

*leaders of these
commissions are also
appointed by the president

8. Describe the policies that ● Federal Reserve Board -

the following independent
regulatory commissions
control (What do they
oversee in government?)
● National Labor Relations Board -

● Federal Communications Commission -

● Federal Trade Commission -

● Securities and Exchange Commission -

9. Explain the influence

independent regulatory
commissions and interest
groups have on one another.

10. Define government

corporations and give an
example of one.
11. Explain the
responsibility of
independent executive
agencies in the US
government.

*leaders of these agencies

are also appointed by the
president

12. Explain the difference

between an independent
regulatory commission and
independent executive
agencies.

13. Describe the challenges

of policy implementation.

14. Explain why the

bureaucracy has
administrative discretion.

15. Explain how
privatization affects
bureaucracy.
The process through which a property or a business passes from government
ownership to private ownership is known as privatization. Privatization affect
bureaucracy by overriding legislative decisions and helps level off the growth
of bureaucracy. It can help private companies to move goods quicker and more
efficiently.

16. Explain the
bureaucracy’s power of
regulation and why it both
necessary for policy
implementation and
controversial.
The rules by which federal and state programs run are governed by the
bureaucracy's regulatory power, which is exercised through an administrative
procedure known as rule making. They make regulations, directions, and
procedures for enforcing laws that affect the general population. It is both
required for policy implementation and contentious since it has a public
impact. Bureaucrats are more efficient than Congress at forming and
implementing policies.
17. Explain the pros and Deregulation is the lifting of government restrictions on business, industry and
cons of deregulation. professional activities. Economic performance can be boosted by reforming
needlessly burdensome government legislation. However, removing critical
health-care, worker-safety, and environmental protection regulations may harm
people's well-being and hamper long-term progress.

18. Explain how the ● Appointment power - to appoint specific people to head the agency.
following presidential Putting them in charge is a way for presidents to influence agency
actions affect the policy. The president controls the bureaucracies by appointing.
bureaucracy.

● Executive orders - The president can order agencies to implement

statutes, treaties, and provisions of the constitution. It can allow the
president to take advantage of directing bureaucratic agents to
implement policy objectives, and etc, often under the cover of
bureaucratic management.

● Altering an agency’s budget - An agency’s budget is vital to ensuring

that agencies can continue to effectively achieve their missions and
deliver services to the public. So if the president decreased their
budget, it could greatly affect their plans and projects either positively
or negatively.

● Reorganizing an agency - Reorganizing an agency can be used in a

both positive and negative way. If an agency is large and strong it is
hard to reorganize. If it was a small and weak agency, it is not needed
to reorganize.
19. Explain how the
following congressional
actions affect the
bureaucracy.
20. Explain the relationship
between Congress, interest
groups, and the bureaucracy
as demonstrated in an iron
triangle.
21. Explain how
bureaucracies can both
protect people’s interests in
democracy but also increase
power of the federal
government.
Chapter 14 Vocab list: Terms you should be familiar with after your reading.
● bureaucracy
● Pendleton Civil Service
Act
● patronage
● merit principle
● civil service
● Hatch Act
● Office of Personnel
Management
● Cabinet departments
● Influence appointments -
● Altering an agency’s budget -
● Hold hearings -
● Rewrite legislation -
Interest Groups, Congressional Committees, and Bureaucratic Agencies all
play important roles in establishing and implementing federal policies and
programs in the policy-making process. The interest group gives election
support to Congress in exchange for friendly legislation. Congress funds and
give political support to the bureaucracy but want help with constituents
concerned and information. The bureaucracy give low regulation and special
favors to interest groups but want support for agency’s budget request and
information.
Bureaucracies improve the quality of life for us people. For example, cleaner
air, safe food, etc are ways that bureaucratic regulations make life better for its
citizens. It also increases power of the federal government by putting
government policy into practice, and therefore the federal bureaucracy has a
large impact on policymaking.
● independent regulatory ● Securities and
commissions Exchange Commission
● Federal Reserve Board ● government
● National Labor corporations
Relations Board ● independent executive
● Federal agencies
Communications ● policy implementation
Commission ● administrative
● Federal Trade discretion
Commission ● regulation
● command - and - regulation ● iron triangles
control policy ● deregulation ● issue networks
● incentive system of ● executive orders