Exam 7: The Bureaucracy

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 ________.

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

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 ________.

In cases of bureaucratic capture, who is doing the capturing?

Which term describes a formal agreement in which the government hires a company or an organization to carry out certain tasks on its behalf?

Which collective dilemma most typically characterizes the relationship between the president and the federal bureaucracy?

The three types of bureaucratic agencies within the executive branch are ________.

Corruption in the bureaucracy increased because of ________.

How can bureaucrats who seek policy change advocate for it?

In order to carry out their jobs, what do bureaucrats usually want?

Upon whose orders do federal bureaucrats act?

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?

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.

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?

When does coalitional drift occur?

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?

What are "street-level" bureaucrats?

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.

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 ________.

Which action may be subject to review under the legal standard established by Chevron v. Natural Resources Defense Council?