Deck 15: The Bureaucracy

Question 1

Critical Thinking Questions


-Which model of bureaucracy best explains the way the government currently operates? Why?

Answer 1

A combination of the Weberian and acquisitive models of bureaucracy best explains how the U.S. government currently operates. As in the Weberian model, the federal bureaucracy employs specialized professionals arranged in a hierarchy who make decisions according to formal rules. It also operates efficiently for the most part. As in the acquisitive model, however, agencies compete with one another for federal funds and always try to acquire more. The bureaucracy does not really operate according to the monopolistic model. Although cabinet departments and bureaucratic agencies do not have competitors, this has not necessarily made them unresponsive or inefficient. People receive their passports and income tax refunds without having to wait an unreasonable amount of time, and the various intelligence agencies often do their jobs quite well. People who seek jobs in the bureaucracy are often dedicated to serving the public, so there is no reason to believe they would not work as efficiently as possible. Sometimes bureaucracy seems inefficient because government employees must follow rules intended to make them do their jobs correctly.

Question 2

Two recent periods of large-scale bureaucratic expansion were ________.

A) the 1930s and the 1960s
B) the 1920s and the 1980s
C) the 1910s and the 1990s
D) the 1930s and the 1950s

Answer 2

A

Question 3

Briefly explain the benefits and drawbacks of a merit system.

Answer 3

A benefit of the merit system is that it helps to ensure the most qualified applicants are given the position. A drawback is that the bureaucracy is less responsive to the will of elected leaders than under patronage.

Question 4

Which describes the ideal bureaucracy according to Max Weber?

A) an apolitical, hierarchically organized agency
B) an organization that competes with other bureaucracies for funding
C) a wasteful, poorly organized agency
D) an agency that shows clear electoral responsiveness

Question 5

The "spoils system" allocated political appointments on the basis of ________.

A) merit
B) background
C) party loyalty
D) specialized education

Question 6

An example of a government corporation is ________.

A) NASA
B) the State Department
C) Amtrak
D) the CIA

Question 7

Briefly explain the underlying reason for the emergence of the spoils system.

Question 8

Critical Thinking Questions


-What concerns might arise when Congress delegates decision-making authority to unelected leaders, sometimes called the fourth branch of government?

Question 9

Critical Thinking Questions


-Do you think Congress and the president have done enough to protect bureaucratic whistleblowers? Why or why not?

Question 10

Critical Thinking Questions


-Does the use of bureaucratic oversight staff by Congress and by the OMB constitute unnecessary duplication? Why or why not?

Question 11

During George Washington's administration, there were ________ cabinet positions.

A) four
B) five
C) six
D) seven

Question 12

Which of the following models of bureaucracy best accounts for the way bureaucracies tend to push Congress for more funding each year?

A) the Weberian model
B) the acquisitive model
C) the monopolistic model
D) the ideal model

Question 13

Critical Thinking Questions


-In what ways might the patronage system be made more efficient?

Question 14

When reformers speak of bureaucratic privatization, they mean all the following processes except ________.

A) divestiture
B) government grants
C) whistleblowing
D) third-party financing

Question 15

The Civil Service Reform Act of 1978 created the Office of Personnel Management and the ________.

A) Civil Service Commission
B) Merit Systems Protection Board
C) "spoils system"
D) General Schedule

Question 16

Briefly explain why government might create a government corporation.

Question 17

The Civil Service Commission was created by the ________.

A) Pendleton Act of 1883
B) Lloyd-La Follette Act of 1912
C) Hatch Act of 1939
D) Political Activities Act of 1939

Question 18

The Freedom of Information Act of 1966 helps citizens exercise oversight over the bureaucracy by ________.

A) empowering Congress
B) opening government records to citizen scrutiny
C) requiring annual evaluations by the president
D) forcing agencies to hold public meetings

Question 19

Briefly explain the advantages of negotiated rulemaking.