Unit 4 The Federal Bureaucracy Study Guide- (Do this and get 10 more points on your test if you
turn it in Before the test!)
Define the following terms:
Bureaucracy
Patronage
Pendleton Civil Service Act
Civil service
Merit principle
Hatch Act
Offices of Personnel Management
Iron triangles vs issue networks
Review term: Pork barreling
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GS (general schedule rating)
Senior Executive Service
independent regulatory commission
Government corporations
independent executive agency
policy implementation
Standard operating procedures
Administrative discretion
Street level bureaucrats
regulation
deregulation
command and control policy
incentive system
executive orders
How many agencies and statues regulate food safety? How often is the average food company inspected?
Why?
Why do congressional committees and interest groups take so much interest in what bureaucrats do?
Can you debunk 3 myths about bureaucracy?
So much bureaucracy to learn….but, can you differentiate the 4 agency groups?
How many bureaucrats work for the U.S. government? Describe the evolution of the bureaucracy: Describe the organization of the bureaucracy: What are the three parts of an iron triangle? Compare and contrast the informal and the formal organization of the bureaucracy: What agency staffs the bureaucracy? Describe their hiring practices: Define and describe the 5 principles of bureaucratic management: How does the textbook model of bureaucratic management work? What are the historic roots of American government bureaucracy? What is the public perception of the bureaucracy? In what ways is the bureaucracy being privatized? Describe the relationship between the bureaucracy and the executive branch: Describe the relationship between the bureaucracy and the legislative branch: What was the effect of the Civil Service Reform Act of 1978? Describe current reform of the bureaucracy: Has the bureaucracy, as a percentage of the population, risen or declined in the past 10 years? How can the president oversee and control the bureaucracy? How can the Congress oversee and control the bureaucracy? What is the main duty of the OPM? How has the federal bureaucracy changed since the time of the first president? Why is the bureaucracy called the undefined branch? How big is the federal bureaucracy? How do the demographics of the bureaucracy compare with those of the U.S. in general? Differentiate the 4 types of agencies
How can a cabinet department be controversial?(p441)
Free response questions;
1.The federal bureaucracy as part of the executive branch exercises substantial independence in implementing
governmental policies and programs. Most workers in the federal bureaucracy are civil-service employees who
are organized under a merit system.
1. (a) Describe one key characteristic of the merit system.
2. (b) For each of the following, describe one factor that contributes to bureaucratic independence.
 The structure of the federal bureaucracy
 The complexity of public policy problems
3. (c) For each of the following, explain one Constitutional provision that it can use to check the
bureaucracy.
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Congress
The courts
Interest groups
2. The United States Congress and the President together have the power to enact federal law. Federal
bureaucratic agencies have the responsibility to execute federal law. However, in the carrying out of
these laws, federal agencies have policy-making discretion.
1. Explain two reasons why Congress gives federal agencies policy-making discretion in executing
federal laws.
2. Choose one of the bureaucratic agencies listed below. Identify the policy area over which it
exercises policy-making discretion AND give one specific example of how it exercises that
discretion.
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̄ Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
̄ Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
̄ Federal Reserve Board
c. Describe two ways in which Congress ensures that federal agencies follow legislative intent.
3. The concept of iron triangles, also referred to as sub governments, is used to explain how various
interests influence public policy. Applying this concept to agriculture, briefly identify the key
players in the iron triangle, analyze how they interact to achieve policy goals, and evaluate the
impact of this iron triangle on the democratic process.