Chapter 8: The Executive Branch and the Federal Bureaucracy

A set of complex hierarchical departments, agencies, commissions, and their staffs that exist to help a chief executive officer carry out his or her duties. Bureaucracies may be private organizations or governmental units

The firing of public-office holders of a defeated political party and their replacement with loyalists of the newly elected party

Jobs, grants, or other special favors that are given as rewards to friends and political allies for their support

Reform measure that created the Civil Service Commission to administer a partial merit system. The act classified the federal service by grades, to which appointments were made based on the results of a competitive examination. It made it illegal for federal political appointees to be required to contribute to a particular political party

The legal system by which many federal bureaucrats are selected

The system by which federal civil service jobs are classifed into grades or levels, and appointments are made on the basis of performance on competitive examinations

An agency created by Congress that is generally concerned with a specific aspect of the economy

Major administrative unit with responsibility for a broad area of government operations. Departmental status usually indicates a permanent national interest in a particular governmental function, such as defense, commerce, or agriculture

Business established by Congress to perform functions that can be provided by private businesses

Governmental unit that closely resembles a Cabinet department but has a narrower area of responsibility (such as the Central Intelligence Agency) and is not part of any Cabinet department

The 1939 act to prohibit civil servants from taking activist roles in partisan campaigns. This act prohibited federal employees from making politcal contributions, working for a particular party, or campaigning for a particular candidate.

The 1993 liberalization of the Hatch Act. Federal employees are now allowed to run for office in nonpartisan elections and contribute money to campaigns in partisan elections.

The process by which a law or policy is put into operation bu the bureaucracy

The relatively stable relationships and patterns or interaction that occur among an agency, interest groups, and congressional committees or subcommittees.

The loose and informal relationships that exist among a large number of actors who work in broad policy areas