Deck 7: the Bureaucracy

Question 1

What are "street-level" bureaucrats?

A) employees of the Department of Transportation
B) employees of the Census Bureau
C) employees of the Department of Motor Vehicles
D) bureaucrats whose primary job is implementing policy
E) bureaucrats whose primary job is responding to public comments

Answer 1

E

Question 2

Bureaucracies respond to many different types of problems.Regardless of their disparate purposes,they are all intended to create ____________________.

A) public goods
B) private goods
C) corporate goods
D) coordination dilemmas
E) collective dilemmas

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Which is the general term for the agencies and offices devoted to carrying out the tasks of government consistent with the law?

A) government bureaucracy
B) government agency
C) cabinet department
D) independent agency
E) government corporation

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Upon whose orders do federal bureaucrats act?

A) Congress, governors, and the president
B) Congress, the president, and courts
C) the president, governors, and executive office agencies
D) executive office agencies, courts, and Congress
E) the president, courts, and governors

Question 5

As the Orange County Soil and Water Commissioner,Greg performs several duties.He reviews reports on water quality,oversees funds for soil testing,and works with the local Parks Department to protect the watershed surrounding the local reservoir.Greg became the Soil and Water Commissioner after running a successful campaign to show voters that he has the expertise needed to carry out these tasks,including a background in environmental science.Is Greg a bureaucrat?

A) Yes, because his tasks are typical for bureaucrats.
B) Yes, because he was chosen for the job based on his expertise.
C) Yes, because he works with bureaucratic agencies.
D) No, because he was elected to the position.
E) No, because his tasks are not typical for bureaucrats.

Question 6

Amtrak,a company that provides passenger railway service,has been struggling financially and would like to stop service on its least profitable routes.Amtrak is usually relatively independent;it sets ticket fares and schedules,decides how to invest in new equipment,and is expected to generate enough revenue to cover expenses.However,the U.S.Congress stops them from cutting unprofitable service routes because,as a/an ____________________,part of Amtrak's purpose is to serve the entire country,even little-used rural passenger routes.

A) public corporation
B) private corporation
C) cabinet department
D) government corporation
E) independent agency

Question 7

Which is a federally owned corporation that generates revenue by providing a public service and is operated much like a private business with extensive autonomy from the president or Congress?

A) government bureaucracy
B) government agency
C) federal ministry
D) independent agency
E) government corporation

Question 8

The three settings for bureaucratic agencies within the executive branch are ____________________.

A) government bureaucracy, as an independent agency, or as an executive office of the president
B) within a department, government corporation, or government bureaucracy
C) within a department, as an independent agency, or as a government corporation
D) as an executive office of the president, government corporation, or independent agency
E) within a government agency, as an executive office of the president, or independent agency

Question 9

Which is an individual unit of the government responsible for carrying out tasks delegated to it by Congress or the president in accordance with the law?

A) government bureaucracy
B) government agency
C) cabinet department
D) independent agency
E) government corporation

Question 10

The Environmental Protection Agency is considering a new regulation that would require all car owners to install new emissions reduction equipment after two years of ownership.Before they can make this regulation into a law they must make all records about the development of the regulation public and solicit public comments because of ____________________.

A) the Administrative Procedures Act
B) the Pendleton Act
C) the Transparency in Government Act
D) the Admission Procedures Act
E) the Freedom of Information Act

Question 11

The Environmental Protection Agency is tasked with regulating the conduct of business corporations.To give the EPA more autonomy it is structured so that the president is limited in his or her ability to remove those leading the agencies.This level of oversight is typical of ____________________.

A) police-patrol oversight
B) fire-alarm oversight
C) an agency created as part of a cabinet department
D) an agency created as a government corporation
E) an independent agency

Question 12

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)often helps organize the disaster response efforts of various federal,state,and local agencies.These efforts are indicative of the ways that federal bureaucracies can address ____________________.

A) Prisoner's Dilemmas
B) coordination problems
C) principal-agent problems
D) collective-action problems
E) unstable coalitions

Question 13

The president is creating a new agency tasked with restoring funding for music education in primary schools.Because this initiative has received a lot of publicity and will reflect on her administration in the upcoming election,the president wants to make sure those running the agency do not have too much independence.She therefore creates the initiative within the Department of Education and requires the initiative leaders to report to the Secretary of Education.This is an example of ____________________.

A) police-patrol oversight
B) fire-alarm oversight
C) an agency created as part of a cabinet department
D) an agency created as a government corporation
E) an independent agency

Question 14

When Congress and the executive branch are controlled by the same party,laws tend to be more ____________________ because Congress trusts the executive branch to implement the laws more faithfully under ____________________ than ____________________ government.

A) vague; divided; unified
B) specific; divided; singular
C) specific; plural; singular
D) vague; unified; divided
E) specific; unified; divided

Question 15

Which of the following is operated most like a private corporation?

A) government bureaucracy
B) government agency
C) federal ministry
D) independent agency
E) government corporation

Question 16

High-level federal bureaucrats,such as cabinet secretaries,are typically ____________________.

A) appointed by the U.S. Civil Service Commission
B) selected under the merit system
C) presidential appointees
D) congressional appointees
E) independent contractors

Question 17

What type of law is made within the executive-branch bureaucracy?

A) civil law
B) legislative law
C) administrative law
D) common law
E) general law

Question 18

Do "street-level" bureaucrats make policy decisions?

A) No, because they are not very important.
B) No, because policy decisions are made by Congress or the president.
C) No, because policy decisions are made by higher-level bureaucrats.
D) Yes, because their individual judgment calls create policy standards and routines.
E) Yes, but only in certain policy areas.

Question 19

Which of the following best describes the relationship between the U.S.Constitution and the bureaucracy?

A) The U.S. Constitution outlined the creation of specific bureaucratic agencies and the power to create additional bureaucratic agencies is a reserved power of the president and Congress.
B) The bureaucracy predates the U.S. Constitution, with early agencies led by groups or individuals appointed by the Continental Congress.
C) The bureaucracy predates the U.S. Constitution, but secretaries were not appointed until the Constitution was formally adopted.
D) The bureaucracy was an innovation of the U.S. Constitution, designed to accommodate the adoption of a federal system.
E) Following the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, Alexander Hamilton created bureaucracy to insure that the Founders' intentions were realized in practice.

Question 20

Which is an agency run outside of the cabinet departments and run with greater independence from presidential influence?

A) government bureaucracy
B) government agency
C) federal ministry
D) independent agency
E) government corporation

Question 21

Which time period is NOT associated with an increase in the size of the federal bureaucracy?

A) Era of Good Feelings, about 1816-24
B) Progressive Era, early 1900s
C) New Deal Era, 1930s
D) Great Society period, mid-1960s to mid-1970s
E) post-9/11 period, 2000s

Question 22

Patronage appointments resulted in ____________________.

A) fairer electoral politics
B) less political efficacy for Members of Congress
C) underqualified bureaucrats and less effective implementation of government policies
D) a more stable bureaucracy with less job turnover
E) increased funding for the arts

Question 23

Employees at independent agencies may be dismissed ____________________.

A) by the president for any reason not specifically proscribed by law
B) only for cause
C) by a majority vote of both houses of Congress
D) for failure to respond to presidential directives
E) when a president of a new party is elected

Question 24

Corruption in the bureaucracy increased because of ____________________.

A) the Pendleton Act
B) the spoils system
C) Mugwumps
D) Great Society programs
E) military expansion

Question 25

Which country operates a national bureaucracy most similar to the current U.S.system of civil service?

A) France
B) Japan
C) United Kingdom
D) Nigeria
E) Bolivia

Question 26

In the last twenty years national government has been under pressure to privatize,which refers to ____________________,and marketize,which means ____________________.

A) hiring private-sector agents to implement programs; applying market principles when implementing policies
B) relying on government volunteers to fund and conduct government-sanctioned work; hiring private sector agents to implement policies
C) using the free market to assess the value of government assets; applying market principles when implementing policies
D) applying market principles when implementing policies; hiring private-sector agents to implement policies
E) hiring private-sector agents to implement programs; using the free market to assess the value of government assets

Question 27

The town of Springfield has an extensive public transportation system that has grown steadily over time in response to the city's changing needs.However,the town council realizes that it is not as efficient as it might be.The town decides to hire a private company to run its bus service,because a private company has greater incentives to run the system efficiently.This is an example of ____________________.

A) personalization
B) privatization
C) marketization
D) proliferation
E) capitalization

Question 28

The town of Springfield has an extensive public transportation system that has grown steadily over time in response to the city's changing needs.However,the town council realizes that it is not as efficient as it might be.The town council reviews data provided by the city's Department of Transportation and organizes an extensive re-routing of public buses in order to reduce costs and improve efficiency.This is an example of ____________________.

A) personalization
B) privatization
C) marketization
D) proliferation
E) capitalization

Question 29

The town of Springfield has an extensive public transportation system that has grown steadily over time in response to the city's changing needs.However,the town council realizes that it is not as efficient as it might be.One of the biggest drains on the system is a program that shuttles elderly citizens from point to point,but discontinuing this program would be a public relations liability for the town council,so they recruit volunteers to drive these shuttles.This is an example of ____________________.

A) personalization
B) privatization
C) marketization
D) proliferation
E) capitalization

Question 30

The number of people employed by the federal government's civilian bureaucracy ____________________.

A) has steadily increased since the 1950s
B) increased between 1950 and 1990 and has decreased since
C) has steadily decreased since 1950
D) fluctuates substantially depending on which party controls Congress
E) has remained remarkably steady since the 1950s

Question 31

Which of the following refers to the contracting of private companies by the government to conduct work that was formerly done by government agencies?

A) personalization
B) privatization
C) marketization
D) proliferation
E) capitalization

Question 32

Which collective dilemma most typically characterizes the relationship between the president and the federal bureaucracy?

A) Prisoner's Dilemma
B) coordination problem
C) principal-agent problem
D) Collective-action problem
E) unstable coalition

Question 33

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 ____________________.

A) bureaucratic escape
B) bureaucratic capture
C) agency loss
D) coalitional drift
E) bureaucratic drift

Question 34

The Pendleton Act,in part,created a system of ____________________.

A) selective service
B) perennial spoils
C) selective admissions
D) civil service
E) private enterprise

Question 35

Which term describes a formal agreement in which the government hires a company or an organization to carry out certain tasks on its behalf?

A) contract
B) grant
C) work order
D) asset
E) certificate

Question 36

Though it was intended to increase bureaucratic efficiency,the principles of privatization and marketization that were part of ____________________ have in some cases led to accusations of increased fraud due to a lack of oversight.

A) the Pendleton Act
B) the spoils system
C) the Administrative Procedures Act
D) the Administrative Protection Act
E) the Grace Commission

Question 37

The tension between U.S.representatives' shared interest in reducing government waste and their individual interests in preserving government programs that benefit their constituents often produces a/an ____________________ that prevents political action to improve bureaucratic efficiency.

A) Prisoner's Dilemma
B) coordination problem
C) principal-agent problem
D) collective-action problem
E) unstable coalition

Question 38

While in office,President George W.Bush appointed an ambassador to France even though the appointee did not speak French.Should this be prevented by the Pendleton Act?

A) No, because the Pendleton Act is primarily concerned with making it illegal to pay dues to a political party in return for a job.
B) No, because the Pendleton Act only protects some layers of the national bureaucracy.
C) No, because it should have been prevented by the Administrative Procedures Act.
D) Yes, because the Pendleton Act is designed to prevent bureaucratic corruption.
E) Yes, because the Pendleton Act is designed to keep elected officials from being able to give any jobs to their supporters.

Question 39

Which term describes money that the government provides to individuals or organizations to perform tasks in the public's interest?

A) contract
B) grant
C) work order
D) asset
E) certificate

Question 40

Which term refers to the government bureaucratic reform that emphasizes market-based principles of management that are common in the private sector?

A) personalization
B) privatization
C) marketization
D) proliferation
E) capitalization

Question 41

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

A) congressional oversight of bureaucratic agencies
B) presidential authority to remove political appointees
C) procedures for Congress to overturn regulations created by bureaucracies
D) laws that establish new administrative agencies
E) rules and regulations issued by executive agencies under authority delegated by Congress

Question 42

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 re-election.The incoming president believes that trade regulations are harmful,and cuts funding to the agency.This is an example of ____________________.

A) police-patrol oversight
B) fire-alarm oversight
C) bureaucratic drift
D) coalitional drift
E) bureaucratic capture

Question 43

When does coalitional drift occur?

A) There is inadequate police-patrol oversight.
B) Republicans and Democrats disagree about the most desirable goals for bureaucracies.
C) Principals stay the same but change their policy preferences.
D) Bureaucratic agencies differ in how they interpret and implement policies.
E) Agents refuse to accept mandates given to them by principals.

Question 44

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

A) Bureaucratic escape
B) Bureaucratic capture
C) Agency loss
D) Coalition drift
E) Bureaucratic drift

Question 45

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

A) a political party, which gains a political advantage by staffing agencies with bureaucrats who will adhere to their preferences
B) a powerful individual who is able to sway bureaucrats through bribes or other incentives
C) state governments, who gain autonomy by convincing agencies to prioritize state over federal policies
D) non-governmental organizations or industries, who gain favorable regulation when agencies are more beholden to them than to principals
E) government volunteers, who gain policy access by taking over the work of bureaucratic agents

Question 46

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

A) close oversight from Congress and the president
B) clear instructions from Congress and the president
C) a smaller staff that is easier to coordinate
D) Congress and the president to disagree
E) spending cuts so principals are re-elected

Question 47

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

A) Congress reducing the budget of the National Science Foundation
B) the president issuing an executive order directing the Department of Justice to prioritize the investigation and prosecution of drug cases
C) Congress creating legislation that allows the Food and Drug Administration to regulate tobacco products
D) the Environmental Protection Agency issuing new rules to limit carbon emissions under the Clean Air Act
E) the president firing the Secretary of the Interior

Question 48

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 ____________________.

A) inside job
B) iron triangle
C) close encounter
D) logroll
E) pork barrel

Question 49

How can bureaucrats who seek policy change advocate for it?

A) lobbying Congress
B) forming workplace-based interest groups
C) informing the public
D) donating money to underfunded agencies
E) coercing their constituents to act

Question 50

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

A) relatively low costs for Congress to monitor agencies
B) increased contact between Congress and agencies
C) minimized reliance on interest groups and citizens
D) greater contact between Congress and the presidency
E) reduced risk of coalition drift

Question 51

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 don't meet the president's labor standards.This is an example of ____________________.

A) police-patrol oversight
B) fire-alarm oversight
C) bureaucratic drift
D) coalitional drift
E) bureaucratic capture

Question 52

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

A) Prisoner's Dilemma
B) coordination problem
C) principal-agent problem
D) collective-action problem
E) unstable coalition

Question 53

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 potential harmful side effects.This is an example of ____________________.

A) police-patrol oversight
B) fire-alarm oversight
C) bureaucratic drift
D) coalitional drift
E) bureaucratic capture

Question 54

What is the principal-agent problem,and how is it relevant for understanding interactions between Congress and federal bureaucracies? Which institution or set of institutions usually acts as the principal,and which acts as the agent? What mechanisms and strategies are available to the principal to control the agent and minimize shirking?

Question 55

Discuss the historical development of the federal bureaucracy in the United States.What were its origins? When and why did it expand? How have the movements toward privatization and marketization influenced the bureaucracy in recent decades?

Question 56

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

A) administrative law
B) police-patrol oversight
C) fire-alarm oversight
D) ambulance oversight
E) extraordinary rendition

Question 57

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

A) Prisoner's Dilemma
B) coordination problem
C) principal-agent problem
D) collective-action problem
E) unstable coalition

Question 58

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

A) administrative law
B) police-patrol oversight
C) fire-alarm oversight
D) ambulance oversight
E) extraordinary rendition

Question 59

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 ____________________.

A) withholding agency authorization
B) withholding appropriations
C) increasing fire-alarm oversight
D) increasing police-patrol oversight
E) forming an iron triangle

Question 60

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

A) an interest group, a congressional committee, and a federal agency
B) voters, an interest group, and a federal agency
C) the states, a congressional committee, and voters
D) a foreign government, the Office of Management and Budget, and a federal agency
E) the Office of Management and Budget, an interest group, and a congressional committee

Question 61

How does the bureaucratic culture of the United States compare with other nations' orientations toward bureaucracies? How is the United States' system of civil service similar to and distinct from the way that bureaucracies are managed elsewhere? What are the costs and benefits of the American bureaucratic culture compared to the two alternatives described in the text?

Question 62

What is an "iron triangle?" What institutions are part of an iron triangle,and how do they interact? How does the structure of an iron triangle support effective governance? How do iron triangles promote inefficiencies and bad public policies?

Question 63

What was the Saturday Night Massacre? Who were the principal individuals involved,what actions did they take,and what were the stakes of their actions? How does the Saturday Night Massacre illustrate the principal-agent problem that characterizes bureaucratic interactions with the president? How can presidents act to minimize bureaucratic shirking?