Deck 8: The Administrative State

Question 1

Which department has responsibility for regulation of the oil and gas industry in Texas?

A)Public Utility Commission
B)Interstate Commerce Commission
C)Energy Regulatory Commission
D)Texas Railroad Commission
E)Attorney General

Answer 1

D

Question 2

The number of state government employees in Texas _____.

A)has been increasing steadily since the 1980s
B)has changed little since the 1960s
C)has grown at about the same rate as the overall population since the 1970s
D)declined in the 1990s but has grown rapidly in the twenty-first century
E)has declined dramatically as computers have replaced employees

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Why have state and local governments,including those in Texas,continued to grow despite opposition from much of the public?

A)National government mandates that states improve water, air, and education.
B)The United States has experienced high population growth.
C)Liberal presidential agendas have led to high growth in governments.
D)National government mandates that states improve water, air, and education; and the United States has experienced high population growth.
E)National government mandates that states improve water, air, and education; the United States has experienced high population growth; and liberal presidential agendas have led to high growth in governments.

Answer 3

D

Question 4

​American business philosophy has been characterized as "pseudo laissez faire."What does this mean?

A)​Businesses oppose government involvement in the economy in general but support assistance for their individual businesses.
B)​Businesses oppose all government involvement in the economy.
C)​Businesses support protections for workers and farmers.
D)​Urbanization has resulted in workers moving from farms to cities.
E)​All of these are part of the pseudo laissez faire philosophy.

Question 5

According to Max Weber,hierarchical authority,defined jurisdictions,and extensive rules and regulations are all characteristics of what?

A)government
B)politics
C)bureaucracy
D)legislatures
E)all of these

Question 6

​Members of appointed boards and commissions _____.

A)​are all appointed by the governor
B)​servefour-year terms
C)​serve without pay
D)​generally have no authority to make policy
E)​all of these

Question 7

Why is state administration in Texasconfusing?

A)There is no single, uniform organizational pattern.
B)There are numerous exceptions to the traditional bureaucratic characteristic of hierarchy.
C)The number of state agencies depends upon one's method of counting.
D)There are at least five different types of top policymakers in state agencies.
E)All of these are reasons why the state administration is confusing.

Question 8

​Due to Texas's individualistic/traditional political culture,policymakers focus upon _____.

A)​cost avoidance
B)​tax cutting
C)​providing a business environment with minimum regulations
D)​all of these
E)none of these

Question 9

The State Board of Education is chosen by the _____.

A)governor
B)commissioner of education
C)voters
D)lieutenant governor
E)legislature

Question 10

Which elected official in Texas is responsible for supervising the leasing of state-owned lands for such purposes as oil production and grazing?

A)treasurer
B)secretary of state
C)commissioner of agriculture
D)commissioner of the General Land Office
E)attorney general

Question 11

​Administration of most of the state's laws is carried out by _____.

A)​elected officials
B)​elected boards and commissions
C)​appointed boards and commissions
D)​officials directly responsible to the governor
E)​committees within the legislative branch

Question 12

Which statewide executive office is responsible for consumer protection,particularly with regard to determining the relative safety of pesticides?

A)attorney general
B)land commissioner
C)treasurer
D)comptroller ofpublic accounts
E)agriculture commissioner

Question 13

Bureaucracy is a type of organization associated with red tape,specialization,and _____.

A)compassion
B)democracy
C)efficiency
D)hierarchy
E)customer service

Question 14

​Reinventing or reengineering government referred to _____.

A)​bureaucrats who implemented policy
B)​a national and state movement during the 1990s to improve government and make it more efficient
C)​pseudo laissez faire
D)​the growth of government at the state and local levels
E)​populism

Question 15

In a comparison of all the states,Texas has among the fewest employees per 10,000 population in all of these areas except _____.

A)higher education
B)highways
C)corrections
D)hospitals
E)public welfare

Question 16

Which elected official in Texas is responsible for the administration of the state tax system?

A)treasurer
B)comptroller of public accounts
C)secretary of state
D)attorney general
E)lieutenant governor

Question 17

Which of these factors contributed to the growth of state and local governments during the post‒World War II period?

A)an expanding population
B)the federal government's channeling of money through state governments for new programs
C)increased citizens' demands for improved quality of life
D)more citizen participation ​because of expanding civil rights
E)all of these

Question 18

If a Texas college student has had phone service switched without approval or has had unauthorized charges on a phone bill,the _____ represents a possible solution to the problem.

A)General Land Office
B)lieutenant governor
C)secretary of state
D)Public Utility Commission
E)Sunset Commission

Question 19

Which official certifies elections and maintains records on campaign expenditures?

A)secretary of state
B)commissioner of agriculture
C)attorney general
D)comptroller of public accounts
E)commissioner of the General Land Office

Question 20

Which of these offices represents the state and its agencies in court when the state is a party to a case?

A)attorney general
B)secretary of state
C)treasurer
D)comptroller of public accounts
E)agriculture commissioner

Question 21

​In which of these ways is the Texas governor's control over the bureaucracy limited?

A)​The governor's appointment powers are restricted and removal powers are limited.
B)​There is no true executive budget.
C)​The executive branch is fragmented into numerous departments, commissions, and boards.
D)​All of these are ways the governor's control is limited.
E)None of these are ways the governor's control is limited.

Question 22

​Sources of bureaucratic power include all of these except _____.

A)​gubernatorial support
B)​technical expertise
C)​agency leadership
D)​sunset laws
E)​merit-based personnel systems

Question 23

​Why does goal displacement occur?

A)​the creation of agencies with overlapping authority
B)​regulatory agencies being co-opted by their clientele groups
C)​appointed administrators who cannot easily be removed
D)​lack of public understanding about which official or agency is responsible
E)​all of these

Question 24

​Which of these is not an example of agency interaction with the legislature?

A)​working with legislative leaders
B)​giving political contributions to elected officials
C)​using clientele groups to influence legislation and budgets
D)​furnishing information to legislative committees
E)​using clientele groups to influence the selection of legislative leaders

Question 25

The freedom that bureaucrats have to determine how laws are to be interpreted and carried out is called _____.

A)administrative initiative
B)administrative discretion
C)administrative oversight
D)regulatory oversight
E)legislative oversight

Question 26

​What is the importance of the Texas Performance Review (TPR)System?

A)​It reflected an increasingly liberal approach to state spending during the 1990s.
B)​It requires that agencies prepare strategic plans before submitting budget proposals to the legislature.
C)​It was a budgeting approach that decreased accountability for state agencies.
D)​It created the Legislative Budget Board (LBB) to handle state budgets.
E)​All of these are important parts of the TPR System.

Question 27

​Which of these is a source of power for the governor when dealing with bureaucracies?

A)​the fact that thegovernor often appoints the agency head or the members of the board that oversees the agency
B)​influencing legislators to look favorably on the agency
C)​helping an agency get its budget increased
D)​giving an agency visibility
E)​all of these

Question 28

​When we say that the adoption of a civil service system introduces aparadox into the democratic nature of Texas government,what do we mean?

A)The merit system insulates agency workers from undue interference by politicians, but those same politicians are the people's representatives.
B)The civil service systemprevents ​the negative consequences of having administrative agencies bend to the will of partisan elected officials.
C)​Civil servants are paid with taxes but are not directly accountable to the people.
D)​The inability of the public to control state administrators obstructs the will of the people.
E)​All of these are paradoxes of the system.

Question 29

What term is used to describethe situation in whicha public agency haslost its concern for the general public interest and its ability to see different points of view?

A)goal displacement
B)whistle-blowing
C)policy implementation
D)bureaucratic reorganization
E)performance review

Question 30

As a practical matter,when higher level governments (like the national government and states)cut funding for services,​_____.

A)citizens pay less for services
B)costs of funding the services are pushed downward to local governments
C)​small governments like cities can more easily provide services
D)​the quality of services rises
E)​all of these

Question 31

Except in the case of a few high-profile agencies such as the Texas Department of Transportation and the Parks and Wildlife Department,state agencies ordinarily receive little support from _____.

A)the public
B)clientele groups
C)the legislature
D)the governor
E)their chief administrators

Question 32

​When the Texas Railroad Commission determines the number of barrels of oil that can be pumped during a month,it is engaging in _____.

A)​administrative discretion
B)​civil service
C)​lobbying the public
D)​illegal interference in free enterprise
E)​all of these

Question 33

Which of these is nota feature of modern bureaucracies?

A)Authority and accountability are diffused.
B)Agency staffers are very much involved in politics.
C)Modern bureaucracies are divorced from outside control.
D)Managers are relied on to oversee policy implementation and to serve as brokers between citizens and elected officials.
E)Modern organizations are static and rarely reorganize.

Question 34

​Factors that help make the bureaucracy in Texas accountable include all of these except _____.

A)​the long ballot
B)​sunset reviews
C)​legislative oversight
D)​a more integrated executive branch
E)​an open records law

Question 35

An interest group that benefits from the programs of an administrative agency is called a _____.

A)clientele group
B)subject group
C)focus group
D)caucus
E)beneficiary

Question 36

In a civil service system,workers are _____.

A)hired based on merit
B)evaluated on job performance
C)insulated from undue interference from politicians
D)imperfectly accountable to the people
E)all of these

Question 37

Which of these might tempt some administrators toward inappropriate bureaucratic behavior?

A)extremely strongly interest groups,the handicapped legislature, and the lack of a whistle-blowing law in Texas
B)weaknesses in the governor's office, lack of hierarchical control within the agency, and the lack of a whistle-blowing law in Texas
C)extremely strongly interest groups, weaknesses in the governor's office, and the handicapped legislature
D)the handicapped legislature, lack of hierarchical control within the agency, and the lack of a whistle-blowing law in Texas
E)extremely strongly interest groups, weaknesses in the governor's office, and lack of hierarchical control within the agency

Question 38

Why is expert information ​especially powerful for bureaucrats in Texas?

A)The state's legislative committee system does produce much legislative expertise.
B)Usually the only alternative source of information for a legislator is the agency's clientele group.
C)​The more technical the information, the greater the agency's advantage in controlling that information.
D)​There is less public input.
E)All of these make expert information powerful.

Question 39

How do bureaucrats directly influence the content of legislation?

A)​by not being allowed to directly lobby the members of the legislature
B)​by drafting legislation
C)​by furnishing information to legislators
D)​by working with clientele groups to pass legislation
E)​all of these

Question 40

According to the text,a stronger chief executive with more supervisory control would be ​_____.

A)​a positive change because it would give responsibility to a highly visible and accountable elected official
B)​a positive change because it would lead to lower agency budgets
C)​a negative change because the Texas governor, who is already powerful, would become even more powerful
D)​a negative change because most agencies are politically neutral, and this would politicize agencies
E)​all of these

Question 41

How do bureaucracies get power and ensure their survival?In your answer,be sure to include an assessment of the use of clientele groups,the legislature,the chief executive,the public,agency expertise,agency leadership,and civil service.

Question 42

​Relating to the bureaucracy,discuss the pros and cons of implementing a cabinet government in the executive branch in Texas.

Question 43

Why does the long ballot weaken the power of citizens to control the bureaucracy?

A)​Voters have difficulty making good decisions because there are so many candidates on the ballot.
B)Incumbent officials are often reelected only because voters recognize their names.
C)​The framers of the Texas Constitution intended to limit the public's ability to hold government accountable.
D)Voters have difficulty making good decisions because there are so many candidates on the ballot,incumbent officials are often reelected only because voters recognize their names, and the framers of the Texas Constitution intended to limit the public's ability to hold government accountable.
E)Voters have difficulty making good decisions because there are so many candidates on the ballot, andincumbent officials are often reelected only because voters recognize their names.

Question 44

​What is sunset review and how is it important in limiting the bureaucracy?

Question 45

Which of these is not an example of legislative oversight?

A)​the monitoring of the legislature by the news media
B)​budgetary controls
C)​investigation of wrongdoing
D)​impeachment of officials
E)​control through statutes

Question 46

What is a cabinet-style executive branch?​

A)​a way of organizing the executive branch in which gubernatorial power is severely limited
B)​when the executive branch is composed of elected officials who run state agencies
C)​where a chief executive heads a cabinet composed of appointed agency directors
D)where ​power over agencies is shared by the executive and legislative branches
E)​an executive branch organizational formin which directors of executive branch agencies are elected

Question 47

Traditionally,legislative oversight of the bureaucracy is considered to be weak.Explain the factors that contribute to this problem.What powers does the legislature have to rein in the bureaucracy?

Question 48

According to Max Weber​,bureaucratic organizations have several basic characteristics.In your essay,describe the basic characteristics of bureaucracy Weber lists.In comparison,discuss how modern bureaucracies have changed since Weber's writing.

Question 49

​Sunset reviews involve all of these except _____. ​

A)determining which agencies will be renewed, reorganized, or eliminated
B)​examining the performance of state agencies
C)​forcing agencies to modify procedures
D)​occurring over atwelve-year period
E)​appropriating the funding for an agency's budget

Question 50

Which statement best assesses the effectiveness of Texas whistle-blower legislation?

A)Whistle-blower legislation has helped to curtail poor bureaucratic decision making.
B)Millions of dollars of state tax money have been saved.
C)Implementation has been poor and settlements for workers have been delayed for long periods.
D)Whistle-blower legislation has become as important as sunset review in controlling the bureaucracy.
E)Whistle-blower legislation has become one of the state's most important tools for increasing bureaucratic accountability.

Question 51

You are writing an editorial arguing that Texas should implement a cabinet-style executive branch.Which of these would be your strongest argument?​

A)​The governor already has enough to do without supervising a cabinet.
B)​Smaller departments would get lost in a cabinet system.
C)​Most governors want more control over the bureaucracy.
D)​A cabinet approach would strengthen the governor's power over agencies and make them more accountable to the public.
E)​Other states have a cabinet system.

Question 52

Assess the extent to which the bureaucracy in Texas is accountable to the public.Be sure to include assessments of the long ballot,the Open Meetings Act,and whistle-blower legislation.

Question 53

​What are the pros and cons of a civil service system?

Question 54

State employees who report instances of illegal or unethical conduct in their agency are called _____.

A)sun-setters
B)mischief makers
C)tattlers
D)whistle-blowers
E)clientele agents

Question 55

Why dothe state and local governments in Texas continue to grow despite public opposition?

Question 56

​Which of these factors limits legislative oversight of the bureaucracy?

A)​high turnover of legislative committee personnel
B)​Texas's short biennial sessions
C)​reluctance of legislators to offend interest groups that are connected to the bureaucracy and make campaign donations
D)​inadequate staffing
E)​all of these

Question 57

​Which statement regarding the relationship between bureaucratic agencies and the public is not correct?

A)​Some bureaucratic agencies enjoy considerable public recognition and support.
B)​Some agencies use news, maps, and colorful signs to gain public attention.
C)​The success of bureaucratic agencies is largely dependent on public support.
D)​The public is often unaware of the existence of many agencies and is not able to give them support and influence.
E)​Agencies have little public support to help them gain legislative or gubernatorial cooperation.

Question 58

​The primary effect of sunshine laws and the Texas Open Meetings Act was to _____.

A)​increase the power of bureaucratic agencies
B)​strengthen public access to information from governmental bodies
C)​strengthen legislative controls over state agencies
D)​strengthen executive controls over state agencies
E)​decrease the power of interest groups

Question 59

​What characteristics of the state's administration cause confusion?

Question 60

Discuss the roles that clientele groups play in the survival of bureaucracies.

Question 61

Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 7 and 8): Explain the governor's powers of appointment and removal over the bureaucracy.What are the limitations of those powers?

Question 62

Cross-Chapter Essay Question (Chapters 3 and 8): What is co-optation? What are its causes? How does it affect the public interest?