Question 1

In order to carry out their jobs, what do bureaucrats usually want?

Accepted Answer

Bureaucrats want clear instructions and guidance from Congress and the president in order to effectively carry out their jobs. This allows them to understand what is expected of them and helps to avoid confusion and conflicting priorities. Close oversight can sometimes be helpful, but too much can lead to micromanagement and hinder the ability of bureaucrats to do their jobs efficiently. A smaller staff may make coordination easier, but it can also limit the resources available to carry out necessary tasks. Congress and the president disagreeing can create uncertainty and make it difficult for bureaucrats to plan and execute their work. Spending cuts may impact the ability of bureaucrats to carry out their jobs effectively, particularly if it results in reduced resources or staff layoffs.

Question 2

Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council established a legal standard for judicial review of ________.

Accepted Answer

Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council established a legal principle known as Chevron deference, which requires federal courts to defer to executive agencies' reasonable interpretations of ambiguous laws. This standard applies to rules and regulations issued by executive agencies under authority delegated by Congress.

Question 3

What is the principal advantage of fire-alarm oversight over police-patrol oversight?

Accepted Answer

Fire-alarm oversight allows Congress to monitor agencies with relatively low costs because it relies on outside groups or individuals to alert them to issues, rather than requiring Congress to actively oversee each agency's actions continuously.

Question 4

Which is a system of congressional oversight of federal agencies that relies on interest groups and citizens to inform Congress of unwanted actions?

Accepted Answer

Fire-alarm oversight is a system of congressional oversight of federal agencies that relies on interest groups and citizens to inform Congress of unwanted actions. Under this system, Congress sets up laws and regulations to govern the activities of federal agencies and then relies on outside groups to draw attention to problems within the agencies. These groups are like "fire alarms" that alert Congress to potential problems, allowing it to intervene selectively when necessary.

Question 5

President Bartlett creates an agency dedicated to ensuring that all U.S. trading partners must meet strict labor standards or face stiff tariffs. He staffs the agency with experts in trade and economics to ensure that the standards make sense and are followed strictly. However, many of these experts believe that trade regulations are harmful, ultimately isolating countries and leading to poorer working conditions. Over time, agency employees' own beliefs take precedence, and they become more and more relaxed about enforcing standards and begin to decrease fines against countries that do not meet the president's labor standards. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of bureaucratic drift, where the actions of a bureaucratic agency (in this case, the agency created by President Bartlett) start to deviate from the original policy goals or directives set by the government or its leaders, due to the agency's own dynamics or the beliefs of its members.

Question 6

How can bureaucrats who seek policy change advocate for it?

Accepted Answer

The answer of How can bureaucrats who seek policy change...

Question 7

President Bartlett creates an agency dedicated to ensuring that all U.S. trading partners must meet strict labor standards or face stiff tariffs. He staffs the agency with experts in trade and economics to ensure that the standards make sense and are followed strictly. However, he loses his bid for reelection. The incoming president believes that trade regulations are harmful and cuts funding to the agency. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Coalitional drift occurs when there is a shift in the political coalition, such as a change in administration, leading to changes in policy priorities and potentially altering or undermining existing bureaucratic structures or policies.

Question 8

President Obama, a Democrat, wants to increase the Environmental Protection Agency's power to regulate and penalize private businesses. The Republicans have a majority in the House of Representatives and they believe that regulating private business is harmful and invasive. Republicans can most effectively undermine Obama's directive by ________.

Accepted Answer

Withholding appropriations would be the most effective way for the Republicans to undermine Obama's directive because it would limit the funding available for the EPA to enforce regulations and penalties on private businesses. Without sufficient funding, the EPA would be unable to carry out its intended functions effectively.

Question 9

What are the three corners of an "iron triangle"?

Accepted Answer

The "iron triangle" refers to the relationship between an interest group, a congressional committee, and a federal agency. These three entities often work together to promote policies and secure funding, creating a mutually beneficial relationship known as the iron triangle.

Question 10

The process of coalition drift is most likely to create which type of collective dilemma between a federal agency and Congress or the president?

Accepted Answer

Coalition drift refers to the divergence in policy preferences or goals between a federal agency and its political principals (Congress or the president) over time, especially after a change in administration or legislative majority. This divergence creates a principal-agent problem, where the principal (Congress or the president) may struggle to ensure that the agent (the federal agency) acts in accordance with their preferences or directives, due to differences in policy goals, information asymmetry, or other factors.

Question 11

Which is a system of congressional oversight of federal agencies that consists of active monitoring of agencies by Congress through routine inspections?

Accepted Answer

Police-patrol oversight refers to active monitoring of federal agencies by Congress through routine inspections, whereas fire-alarm oversight involves Congress relying on external actors to alert them to potential problems within agencies. Administrative law refers to the body of law that governs the actions and operations of administrative agencies. Ambulance oversight and extraordinary rendition are not related to the system of congressional oversight of federal agencies.

Question 12

________ occurs when a regulatory agency becomes beholden to the organizations or interests it is supposed to regulate.

Accepted Answer

Bureaucratic capture occurs when a regulatory agency becomes too closely aligned with the organizations or interests it is supposed to regulate, often resulting in the agency taking actions that benefit those interests rather than protecting the public interest. This can happen when regulators become too cozy with the industries they regulate or when industry leaders are appointed to head regulatory agencies.

Question 13

The American Procedure Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and the Sunshine Act together constitute a congressional ________ that allows Congress to keep a close eye on the bureaucracy.

Accepted Answer

The phrase "fire-alarm oversight" refers to a system in which Congress relies on interest groups, the media, and whistleblowers to alert them to potential problems within the bureaucracy, rather than actively conducting continuous monitoring (police-patrol oversight). The American Procedure Act, the Freedom of Information Act, and the Sunshine Act all provide avenues for interested parties to raise issues and provide information to Congress, which fits with the fire-alarm oversight model. Therefore, option D, fire-alarm oversight, is the best answer.

Question 14

When does coalitional drift occur?

Accepted Answer

Coalitional drift occurs when the principal's preferences remain the same, but the policymakers they appoint change their policy preferences. This drift can be caused by turnover in elected officials or bureaucrats who interpret and implement policies differently than the principal intended.

Question 15

Suppose a federal agency created under a Democratic president and a Democratic-controlled Congress finds itself at odds with a newly elected Republican president and Republican-controlled Congress. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

Coalitional drift occurs when there is a change in the political environment, such as a shift in the party control of the presidency or Congress, leading to a misalignment between the agency's original goals and the new political leadership's objectives.

Question 16

In cases of bureaucratic capture, who is doing the capturing?

Accepted Answer

Bureaucratic capture occurs when industries or interest groups exert influence over a regulatory agency to the point where the agency prioritizes the interests of these groups over the public interest it was created to serve. This can occur through a variety of means, including providing incentives or revolving door employment opportunities for bureaucrats, lobbying, or campaign contributions to elected officials who oversee the agency.

Question 17

Military officers often retire to work for defense contractors and interest groups that support the defense industry. Congressional committees dealing with national security often employ staff members who are retired from the military or have employment experience in private defense industries or interest groups. In the case of national defense, the relationships among the Department of Defense, congressional committees dealing with national security, and the defense industry and its interest groups may be described as a/an ________.

Accepted Answer

The relationships among the Department of Defense, congressional committees dealing with national security, and the defense industry and its interest groups form an iron triangle, which refers to a mutually beneficial relationship where each entity gains influence and power by cooperating with each other. This can lead to potential conflicts of interest and undermine the democratic process.

Question 18

Employees of the Food and Drug Administration are in frequent contact with pharmaceutical company representatives, and over time these bureaucrats hear more and more stories from company representatives about people who are harmed because medications remain unavailable during the lengthy process of clinical trials. As more and more employees of the FDA become convinced that these harms must be addressed, the agency moves to shorten the length of required clinical trials, even though drugs may reach the market with more unknown and potentially harmful side effects. This is an example of ________.

Accepted Answer

This scenario is an example of bureaucratic capture, where a regulatory agency, such as the FDA, is influenced by the industry it is supposed to regulate, leading to decisions that may favor the industry's interests over public interest.

Question 19

Which action may be subject to review under the legal standard established by Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council?

Accepted Answer

Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council established the legal standard for reviewing agency actions. Under this standard, courts should defer to agency interpretations of ambiguous statutes as long as they are reasonable. Therefore, agency actions, such as the Environmental Protection Agency issuing new rules to limit carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act, may be subject to review under the Chevron standard.

Question 20

The process of bureaucratic drift is most consistent with which collective dilemma?

Accepted Answer

Bureaucratic drift occurs when bureaucrats pursue their own interests rather than the policy goals of their principals. This is consistent with the principal-agent problem, in which principals (elected officials) delegate tasks to agents (bureaucrats) who may have different interests or goals.

Quiz 7: The Bureaucracy