Chapter+9+The+Bureaucracy+-+Study+Questions+(with+Answers)

Study Questions (with Answers)
Why can't presidents just command the bureaucracy to act as they want?

What are important characteristics of the US bureaucracy (ideally) ?

What are the sources of bureaucratic power in the US?

How has the US bureaucracy moved from being one based on spoils, to one based on merit, to one that has a mixed basis? First there was the spoils system where supporters from the winners party would take over all the new jobs in the government, then they adopted the Pendleton act which gave jobs based on qualifications, and now we appoint people based on merit, but also sometimes because they are from the same party as the winner of a campaign.

What is the significance of the rise of the bureaucratic state? What does that mean, and what impact does it have on governance?

What roles do interest groups play in bureaucratic politics in the US?//Interest groups can help set a bureaucratic agenda with monetary and political incentives. They possess far more information and understanding in specific issues to which they are dedicated than the individual bureaucratic officials possess, and so can help make change in government policy by informing federal employees. Interest groups have the manpower and will to pass legislation concerning their specific areas which are important to them.//

What role(s) does cabinet play in controlling the bureaucracy?

Why is the bureaucracy called the "fourth branch of the government"? It links together the three branches of government in the federal system because congress makes the laws however they must rely on the bureaucrats in the executive branch to enforce and implement them. In what ways is the administration arm of the American government responsive (and insensitive) to the demands of the political process?

What is an independent regulatory agency, and what does it do? Briefly name two or three examples of such agencies. How do they differ from Cabinet departments in terms of presidential control? How do they differ from government corporations? Are these differences appropriate? Explain.

Why is policy implementation left to the bureaucracy? What are some of the principal causes of implementation breakdown? What improvements do you think could be made to lessen the likelihood of such breakdowns? Explain.

Explain why the implementation process sometimes fails. What are the obstacles to successful implementation? As an example, compare and contrast the implementation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Why was one more successfully implemented than the other?

What methods are at the disposal of presidents and Congress to control the bureaucracy? Which are most widely used? How effective are they? Do you think these controls are sufficient? Explain.


 * Discuss the various methods used by the president and Congress to control the bureaucracy. Who is generally more successful in getting the bureaucracy to do what it wants?** President s make hundreds of appointments to the executive branch who share their views on different policies. They can also making changes in an agency's annual budget requests and ignore legislative initiatives originiating within the bureaucracy. The most effective use of presidential power is by executive order, which occurs very rarely. Congress possesses the authority to create or abolish departments and to transfer agency functions. It can also expand or contract bureaucratic discretion and confirm or reject presidential appointments. Congress is most effective, more effective than the president, in excersizing oversight as a control on the bureaucracy.

Explain the methods that presidents and Congress use to try to control the bureaucracy. Why is it difficult to control and reform the bureaucracy in the United States?

What is an "iron triangle," and what is its significance in American government? Give an example. Are these natural groupings which should be encouraged or at least tolerated, or are they fundamentally dangerous to a democracy? Explain.

Discuss three aspects of the U.S. constitutional system and political traditions that give the bureaucracy a distinctive character.

Explain the major ways in which federal bureaucrats are recruited.

Discuss three reasons for the competitive exam system becoming more decentralized in recent years.


 * What are the provisions of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978?**

Explain the legislative veto process.

Identify the case in which the Supreme Court struck down the legislative veto as unconstitutional and explain the Court's decision.

Discuss the various "pathologies" of bureaucratic agencies and the roots of these pathologies in the case of public bureaucracies.

Is the bureaucracy too large and uncontrollable? Discuss the existing checks on the exercise of bureaucratic power.

Journalists have developed the iron triangle concept to describe certain external influences on agency behavior. The accuracy of this description, however, is subject to criticism. First, define the meaning of the iron triangle and discuss how it operates. Second, devise an argument - based on the information in the text - challenging the validity of the iron triangle theory.

All presidents complain about their inability to control the bureaucracy. Are these complaints justified? Discuss the problems a president encounters in obtaining bureaucratic cooperation. Be sure to point out the causes of these problems.

What kind of role have congressional investigations played in the supervision of bureaucracy? What is the source of the power to investigate? What are the contours of the power and its limitations?

How does the American public feel about bureaucrats and bureaucracy? What are the most prevalent myths about bureaucracy?

Describe some of the more prevalent myths about the federal bureaucracy, and why they are only myths. What has your experience been with government bureaucrats? Would you recommend any changes based on your experience? Explain.

Evaluate the size of the American bureaucracy. Is the bureaucracy too big or too small?

How were most federal jobs obtained up until the late-nineteenth century? What was the key event that prompted the federal government to start the civil service? What is the civil service based upon, and what are its strengths and weaknesses? Explain.

Who are the bureaucrats and how do they become government workers? Compare and contrast the theories on what bureaucrats do and how they behave.

What is the plum book, and what is its role in staffing the federal bureaucracy? How do its offices differ from those staffed through the civil service? How do the people who serve in plum book jobs differ from civil service employees? Explain.

What is an independent regulatory agency, and what does it do? Briefly name two or three examples of such agencies. How do they differ from Cabinet departments in terms of presidential control? How do they differ from government corporations? Are these differences appropriate? Explain.

Identify, describe, and give examples of the four basic types of bureaucracy in the federal government.

Identify, describe, and give examples of the implementation functions of bureaucracies.

Why is policy implementation left to the bureaucracy? What are some of the principal causes of implementation breakdown? What improvements do you think could be made to lessen the likelihood of such breakdowns? Explain.

Explain why the implementation process sometimes fails. What are the obstacles to successful implementation? As an example, compare and contrast the implementation of Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Why was one more successfully implemented than the other?

Describe the purpose of the Voting Rights Act of 1965. What factors made it a successful case of implementation? Why are laws and regulations seldom this successful? Explain.

What methods are at the disposal of presidents and Congress to control the bureaucracy? Which are most widely used? How effective are they? Do you think these controls are sufficient? Explain.

Discuss the various methods used by the president and Congress to control the bureaucracy. Who is generally more successful in getting the bureaucracy to do what it wants?

Explain the methods that presidents and Congress use to try to control the bureaucracy. Why is it difficult to control and reform the bureaucracy in the United States? 1) Both the President and Congress have certain powers and authorities in order to maintain control over the bureaucracy, including; the president can appoint and remove agency heads and some top bureaucrats, make changes in an agency's budget proposal, and reduce their budget, issue executive orders, and ignore legislative initiatives while congress can pass legislation that alters the bureaucracy's activities, abolish existing programs, investigate and testify against bureaucratic activity, influence presidential appointments and top Bureaucratic officials, and write legislation to limit the bureaucracy's discretion. ***2) it is difficult to reform the bureaucracy because there are so many complex and deep branches that need to be classified and placed in the right place (its very big).

What is an "iron triangle," and what is its significance in American government? Give an example. Are these natural groupings which should be encouraged or at least tolerated, or are they fundamentally dangerous to a democracy? Explain.**

What are issue networks? Explain their significance.** //Issue networks are the informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas. They include agency officials, members of Congress, and interest group lobbyists. They are significant because they are constantly changing when they gain new members with different strengths and ideals and who are involved in different issue areas.//

What is meant by administrative discretion, and when is it most often used?