Deck 14: Accountability and Politics

Question 1

Each of the following is an element of systems that holds public administrators accountable EXCEPT ______.

A) monitoring
B) redundancy
C) sanctions
D) voluntary compliance

Answer 1

B

Question 2

The Nixon administration made famous which of the following barriers to information flow?

A) secrecy
B) administrative confidentiality
C) executive privilege
D) protection of an individual's private information

Answer 2

C

Question 3

Congressional oversight serves the following purposes for legislators EXCEPT ______.

A) the collection of information
B) the investigation of fraud, waste, and abuse
C) the reelection of congressional members
D) protection of legislative prerogatives

Answer 3

C

Question 4

Which of the following is another term for legislative oversight?

A) administrative rulemaking
B) executive privilege
C) adjudication
D) legislative review

Question 5

What strategy have White House officials claimed as a defense against testifying before Congress?

A) legislative immunity
B) s specific Hatch Act provision
C) posse comitatus
D) executive privilege

Question 6

Each of the following is a purpose for congressional oversight EXCEPT ______.

A) evaluation of program effectiveness
B) satisfying the desire of the local election base
C) protection of congressional prerogatives
D) reversal of unpopular actions

Question 7

Increasingly, on what does GAO rely for review of individual agency transactions?

A) appropriations staff
B) budget staff
C) nobody
D) agency auditors

Question 8

The two principles that keep accountability systems working are ______.

A) standard setting and efficiency
B) monitoring and sanctions
C) voluntary compliance and administrative confidentiality
D) independence and redundancy

Question 9

According to the Constitution, all of the following hold true EXCEPT ______.

A) Congress makes laws
B) Congress creates the bureaucracy and authorizes programs and program administrators
C) Congress appropriates funds for programs within the federal bureaucracy
D) Congress faithfully executes laws

Question 10

Crafting rules that guide administrative discretion is referred to as which of the following?

A) standard setting
B) rulemaking
C) legislation
D) executive privilege

Question 11

Which of the following is one of the barriers to information flow that makes Congressional oversight much more challenging?

A) legislative review
B) adequate staffing
C) reelection campaigns
D) administrative confidentiality

Question 12

According to the text, what is the effect of appropriations committees' primary focus on funding levels?

A) The are the best at oversight.
B) They are removed from oversight.
C) They are probably not as engaged in oversight as they could be.
D) There is no effect.

Question 13

Which of the following is associated with government agencies' protection of private information such as individuals' tax returns?

A) administrative confidentiality
B) legislative review
C) performance-based information
D) executive privilege

Question 14

Which type of committee focuses on initiating, reviewing, and reporting out bills?

A) appropriations committees
B) authorizing committees
C) committees on government operations
D) executive committees

Question 15

According to the text, appropriations committees may have the most impressive credentials for oversight but ______.

A) their staff members are not issue experts
B) they have a limited scope of power
C) their effectiveness in carrying out oversight remains relatively weak
D) their knowledge of agencies and programs is limited

Question 16

What is the absolute foundation of accountability?

A) the desire to seek answers
B) the pursuit of rewards
C) voluntary compliance
D) deliberate discretion

Question 17

What type of oversight management does Congress tend to practice?

A) fire alarm
B) police patrol
C) physician rescue
D) prison guard patrol

Question 18

The Senate Committee on Government Affairs and the House Committee on Government Reform are examples of ______.

A) executive committees
B) appropriations committees
C) authorizing committees
D) committees on government operations

Question 19

The Iran-Contra scandal during the Reagan administration is most closely associated with which of the following barriers to information flow?

A) secrecy
B) administrative confidentiality
C) small congressional staffs
D) large congressional staffs

Question 20

All of the following are elements of systems that hold public administrators accountable EXCEPT ______.

A) voluntary compliance
B) redundancy
C) monitoring
D) sanctions

Question 21

Executive privilege started to become popular during the ______ administration.

A) Clinton
B) Nixon
C) George W. Bush
D) Ford

Question 22

What strategies does GAO employ to workload to include most critical matters?

A) statistical sampling and risk assessment
B) risk assessment comprehensiveness
C) risk management and transparency
D) transparency and data reduction

Question 23

The ______ is Congress's chief arm for examining the performance of government programs.

A) House Committee on Government Reform
B) Treasury Department
C) Senate Committee on Government Affairs
D) GAO

Question 24

According to the text, although the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Government Affairs and the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have the broadest responsibility and strongest powers for overseeing administration, they have traditionally ranked low in prestige.

Question 25

According to the text, the surest course to an ______ public administration is a ______.

A) efficient; careful balance
B) enterprising; caring Congress
C) ethical; careful balance
D) understanding; involved public

Question 26

A citizen's stake in confidentiality of personal information must be balanced against the people's right to know so that they can participate in democratic government.

Question 27

According to the text, what have state legislatures done in response to GAO's effort with regard to the federal government?

A) nothing
B) They've tended to decrease legislative volume.
C) They've established their own evaluation shops.
D) They've accepted more grant dollars aimed at ensuring compliance.

Question 28

Legislative oversight is generally thought to do all EXCEPT which of the following?

A) ensure legislative intent is being carried out
B) examine instances of waste, fraud, and abuse
C) gauge program effectiveness
D) verify legislative secrecy

Question 29

What is police patrol oversight?

Question 30

Since it is essential to administration, oversight tends to rank high among congressional priorities.

Question 31

Legislators' use oversight platforms to promote their own agenda and this is most closely associated with which purpose of oversight?

A) detection of waste, fraud, and abuse
B) gauging program effectiveness
C) personal advocacy
D) command and control

Question 32

What is a primary reason for GAO being unable to attract public attention to its work?

A) its rapid production of documents and reports
B) There is little access to reports on Internet.
C) the length of time it takes to complete reports
D) no particular reason

Question 33

Removing GAO from the purview of the executive branch is most closely associated with what principle of accountability?

A) reliability
B) independence
C) redundancy
D) transaction costs

Question 34

What does the author call the "unholy trinity?"

Question 35

How does the concept of program effectiveness apply to legislative oversight?

Question 36

Evaluation of program effectiveness is one reason for congressional oversight.

Question 37

According to the author, there is substantial evidence that control of administration has always ranked as a high priority for Congress.

Question 38

Having multiple agencies charged with oversight is most closely associated with what principle of accountability?

A) reliability
B) independence
C) internal controls
D) redundancy

Question 39

Authorizing committees have the most impressive control of administration.

Question 40

In 2004, the GAO changed the key part of its name from ______ to ______.

A) administrative; accounting
B) appropriation; accountability
C) accounting; accountability
D) authorizing; appropriations

Question 41

In general how have agencies responded to Congress's request for information?

Question 42

What is executive privilege, and how has it manifested itself in different administrations?

Question 43

What is fire alarm oversight?

Question 44

Identify the purposes of oversight for members of Congress.Discuss whether any one approach is less appropriate than another.

Question 45

What three types of congressional standing committees have responsibility for legislative oversight?

Question 46

What three barriers to information flow can hinder congressional oversight?

Question 47

What is the key difference between police patrol and fire alarm approaches to oversight? From your perspective, is any one more effective than the other for achieving an understanding about program effectiveness?

Question 48

What is the paradox of congressional oversight?

Question 49

Name and briefly describe the four elements comprising systems that hold public administrators accountable.

Question 50

What is a major challenge associated with basing oversight on determinations of legislative intent?

Question 51

According to the text, could appropriators play a larger role in oversight functions?