Deck 10: Bureaucracy: What Nobody Wants but Everybody Needs

Question 1

Public education, as we know it now, has existed since _____.

A) the beginnings of the United States
B) the colonial days
C) around the turn of the century
D) the late 1800s

Answer 1

D

Question 2

One of the principles of hierarchy is a clear ______ chain of command

A) horizontal
B) structured
C) formal
D) vertical

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Public agencies are expected to be ______ their actions, justifying them to the public and the government.

A) impartial in
B) accountable for
C) arbitrary in
D) partisan in

Answer 3

B

Question 4

Once a rule is approved, it generally becomes part of a state's ______.

A) lawbook
B) constitution
C) administrative code
D) guiding instructions

Question 5

Professionalization stresses that jobs are awarded based on ______.

A) hierarchy
B) tenure
C) division of labor
D) merit

Question 6

Bureaucracies tend to be ______ because they operate using formal rules.

A) partisan
B) preferential
C) impartial
D) arbitrary

Question 7

Party machines were headed by party ______ or bosses.

A) committees
B) administration
C) members
D) executives

Question 8

Research shows that public- and private-sector employees are ______ in terms of overall competence.

A) drastically different
B) undervalued
C) important
D) about the same

Question 9

Lower-level public agency employees who take actions outlined in law are known as ______.

A) managers
B) union workers
C) public agents
D) street-level bureaucrats

Question 10

Patronage is the process of giving government jobs to ______.

A) the educated elite
B) men
C) skilled workers
D) party loyalists

Question 11

The intent of the spoils system was to ______ government and make it more accountable.

A) organize
B) administrate
C) democratize
D) socialize

Question 12

The "gentlemen's" system of administration led to the belief that public jobs were only for the ______.

A) nation's women
B) party machinery
C) educated elite
D) skilled workers

Question 13

In the public sector, ______, rather than partisan loyalty, family connections, or political influence, is the basis for getting a job.

A) money
B) authority
C) hierarchy
D) merit

Question 14

Supporters of performance measures claimed that the metrics would ______.

A) improve performance
B) increase costs
C) reduce management
D) stifle creativity

Question 15

GPP stands for ______.

A) General Performance Predictors
B) Government Pilot Project
C) General Project Performance
D) Government Performance Project

Question 16

On average, public-sector employees have ______ than do private-sector employees.

A) less education
B) more education
C) less civic duty
D) more instances of ethical violations

Question 17

______ means that bureaucratic employees earn jobs based on qualifications and merit.

A) Formal rules
B) Professionalization
C) Hierarchy
D) Division of labor

Question 18

The first job of bureaucracy is to be the ______ manifestation of the will of the state.

A) active
B) bureaucratic
C) federal
D) passive

Question 19

Most performance evaluations of public agencies focus on ______.

A) comparisons across states
B) comprehensive reports
C) local agencies
D) one city or state

Question 20

Division of labor is when labor is divided according to ______.

A) hierarchy
B) formal rules
C) task and function
D) merit

Question 21

Length of time a worker has spent in a position is referred to as ______.

A) merit
B) tenure
C) seniority
D) authority

Question 22

Which of the following is organizational characteristic generally associated with bureaucracies?

A) unclear division of labor
B) informal rules
C) hierarchy
D) elected offices

Question 23

______ include(s) public agencies and the programs and services they implement and manage.

A) Bureaucracy
B) Standard operating procedures
C) Red tape
D) Administrative redundancy

Question 24

SELECT ALL THAT APPLY. Which of the following are areas of concentration for GPP?

A) people
B) infrastructure
C) information
D) investment

Question 25

After 1883, workers could no longer be coerced into ______.

A) political dismissals
B) examination requirements
C) neutral competence
D) political activities

Question 26

The ______ Act marked the end of the spoils system.

A) Parker
B) Party
C) Merit
D) Pendleton

Question 27

The merit system has been expanded to include ______.

A) protection for whistle-blowers
B) guaranteed work for veterans
C) tenure for management
D) protection from party administrators

Question 28

______ are often used to determine hiring and promotion opportunities.

A) Partisan loyalties
B) Civil service exams
C) Competitions
D) Union memberships

Question 29

Andrew Jackson was a firm believer in the ______ system.

A) spoils
B) professional
C) rule-making
D) labor

Question 30

Who was a famous party boss in New York?

A) Tom Pendergast
B) Gene Talmage
C) Richard Daley
D) Boss Tweed

Question 31

The Pendleton Act established ______ requirements for federal jobs.

A) age
B) education
C) examination
D) security

Question 32

Compared with individuals working in the private sector, public employees do not have ______.

A) higher levels of education
B) a greater commitment toward civic duty
C) more stringent codes of ethical behavior
D) lower standards for pay

Question 33

Performance measures generally indicate public bureaucracies are ______.

A) too much work
B) a poor job compared with private companies
C) a reasonably good job
D) comprehensive evaluations

Question 34

By 1949, what percentage of states had created merit-based bureaucratic systems?

A) about 25 percent
B) about 50 percent
C) about 75 percent
D) almost 100 percent

Question 35

Public labor unions are not focused on ensuring ______.

A) competitive pay and benefits for public employees
B) appropriate job responsibilities for public employees
C) adequate working conditions for public employees
D) competitive pay and working conditions for managers

Question 36

Neutral competences mean that public agencies are the ______ of democratic decisions.

A) partisan extensions
B) political machinery
C) impartial implementers
D) administrative decision makers

Question 37

Those who gained jobs under the spoils system were often expected to contribute ______ to the party machine.

A) volunteer time
B) votes
C) a percentage of their salaries
D) more jobs

Question 38

______ is the set of policies designed to help organizations recruit employees who are members of disadvantaged groups.

A) Administrative action
B) Affirmative administration
C) Action anonymous
D) Affirmative action

Question 39

Unions were almost always ______ prior to the 1960s.

A) mandatory
B) public-sector organizations
C) run by the parties
D) private-sector organizations

Question 40

Which of the following does not generally contribute to the size of the bureaucracy in a state?

A) population size
B) population density
C) citizen demands
D) topography

Question 41

The state governments began the shift to the merit system before the federal government.

Question 42

Bureaucracies have no say in the policies that they implement.

Question 43

Densely populated areas need larger bureaucracies than do rural areas.

Question 44

In the early days of the United States, there was very little bureaucracy.

Question 45

Public labor unions are focused on ensuring competitive pay and benefits for public employees.

Question 46

What are the organizational characteristics of bureaucracies? Briefly describe each.

Question 47

Centralized decision-making power is a characteristic of the New Public Management (NPM) movement.

Question 48

What is affirmative action? What are its advantages and disadvantages?

Question 49

Rulemaking is the process by which laws or mandates approved by legislatures are turned into detailed written instructions on what public agencies will or will not do.

Question 50

Upper-level management in public bureaucracies tends to be highly representative of the demographics of the population.

Question 51

How do bureaucrats make policy?

Question 52

A state's administrative code has the force of law.

Question 53

Contracting out to private companies always leads to cheaper and more efficient delivery of public goods and services.

Question 54

Describe the relationship between public agencies and the legislative and executive branches of government.

Question 55

What is a public-sector union? What are the advantages and disadvantages of having unions?

Question 56

Are public agencies better or worse at their jobs than private companies are? How do we know this?