Deck 7: The Bureaucracy

Question 1

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

Answer 1

C

Question 2

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

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

Answer 2

D

Question 3

Upon whose orders do federal bureaucrats act?

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

Answer 3

D

Question 4

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

Question 5

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 it can make this regulation into a law, it must make all records about the development of the regulation public and solicit public comments because of the ________ Act.

A) Administrative Procedure
B) Pendleton
C) Transparency in Government
D) Admission Procedure
E) Freedom of Information

Question 6

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 7

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) collective action problems
C) principal-agent problems
D) coordination problems
E) unstable coalitions

Question 8

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) 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) an independent agency
B) fire-alarm oversight
C) cabinet department agencies
D) government corporation agencies
E) police-patrol oversight

Question 9

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

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

Question 10

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

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

Question 11

Employees at independent agencies may be dismissed ________.

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

Question 12

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 13

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 it 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 14

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 15

Do "street-level" bureaucrats make policy decisions?

A) No, because policy decisions are made by higher-level bureaucrats.
B) No, because policy decisions are made by Congress or the president.
C) Yes, but only in relation to less important policies.
D) Yes, because their individual judgment calls create policy standards and routines.
E) Yes, but only in certain policy areas.

Question 16

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 17

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 18

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

Question 19

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

Question 20

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

Question 21

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 Procedure 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 22

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 it recruits volunteers to drive these shuttles. This is an example of ________.

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

Question 23

Patronage appointments resulted in ________.

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

Question 24

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

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

Question 25

Congresswoman Renee Ellmers represents North Carolina's 2^nd District, home to the U.S. Army base Fort Bragg. When Congress debated steep military funding cuts in 2010 to enhance efficiency in the federal government, Representative Ellmers fought hard against the cuts, expressing concern that the cuts could force the military to close the base located in her district. Her behavior is evidence of what type of classic problem in American government?

A) collective action problem
B) prisoner's dilemma
C) principal-agent problem
D) coordination problem
E) cooperation problem

Question 26

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 27

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 28

Which of the following statements best defines the bureaucratic legacy of President Reagan?

A) On the recommendation of the Grace Commission, the Reagan administration attempted to increase efficiency through privatization and marketization.
B) On the recommendation of the Grace Commission, the Reagan administration increased efficiency by firing a large percentage of bureaucrats.
C) The bureaucracy grew under the Reagan administration, due mostly to the creation of regulatory agencies designed to oversee welfare policy.
D) Under the Reagan administration, the bureaucracy grew due in large part to the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and its affiliated agencies.
E) Bureaucratic growth stagnated well before Reagan took office, but the decline is mostly attributed to Reagan's policies.

Question 29

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 30

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 31

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 32

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

A) Era of Good Feelings, about 1816-1824
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 33

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 34

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 35

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 36

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

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

Question 37

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 38

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) collective action problem
B) coordination problem
C) principal-agent problem
D) prisoner's dilemma
E) unstable coalition

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

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 rerouting 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 41

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 reelected

Question 42

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 43

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 44

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 45

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 ________.

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

Question 46

How can bureaucrats who seek policy change advocate for it?

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

Question 47

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 ________.

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

Question 48

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 49

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 50

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) unstable coalition
D) collective action problem
E) principal-agent problem

Question 51

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) fire-alarm oversight
C) police-patrol oversight
D) ambulance oversight
E) extraordinary rendition

Question 52

________ 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 53

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.

A) jurisdiction
B) triangle oversight
C) contract
D) fire-alarm oversight
E) police-patrol oversight

Question 54

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 55

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) coalitional drift
B) bureaucratic capture
C) agency loss
D) bureaucratic shift
E) bureaucratic drift

Question 56

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) nongovernmental organizations or industries, who gain favorable regulation when agencies are more beholden to them than to principals
E) nongovernmental organizations or industries, who gain policy access by taking over the work of bureaucratic agents

Question 57

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 58

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 ________.

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

Question 59

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 60

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 61

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 62

Due to various legislation and court decisions, the American bureaucracy has been given the ability to conduct all of the following EXCEPT ________.

A) legislation
B) adjudication
C) vetoing legislation
D) writing statutes
E) implementing policies

Question 63

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 64

Define the principal-agent problem and its relevance for understanding interactions among Congress, the president, 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?