Exam 8: Public Administration: Budgeting and Service Delivery

If you were an agency head, what type of approach to budgeting would you pursue? Be sure to describe the various options for constructing a budget and the pros and cons of each as you present your response.

The support of clientele groups is critical for securing the resources necessary to develop and operate a successful government program.

Approximately _______ working Americans is employed by government at some level.

Various studies on state and local budgeting indicate that the single most influential participant is the chief executive.

Formulation, or initial development, of the budget document is the responsibility of the _______ in most states and localities, with a few exceptions.

There are approximately 19.8 million state and local government employees, and total payroll costs exceed $278 million each month.

One popular device for circumventing balanced-budget requirements is the "off-budget," in which

Many practical problems are associated with implementing policies to create a representative bureaucracy, protect merit principles, cope with sexual harassment in the workplace, and deal with the effects of collective bargaining. Discuss the difficulties of implementing a program to achieve a representative bureaucracy.

Contractors and construction firms that benefit from programs included in a state highway department's expenditures are BEST described as

About 10 percent of local government workers belong to unions, compared with 35 percent in private industry.

Once the chief executive's signature is on the budget document, the budget goes into effect as law, and the execution phase begins.

New public management is an approach to government in which

The state of Massachusetts has contracted out mental health care, prison health care, various highway maintenance functions, and operations of interstate highway rest stops, among many other functions. This is an example of

Which of the following would constitute sexual harassment in the workplace?

If a state employee performs his or her work in a way that is motivated primarily by political considerations, is unqualified for the position, and thus tends to perform poorly in that position, this employee is not adhering to the concept of

The merit principle holds that individuals with the best qualifications should receive a job or get promoted based on their job performance.

Line-item budgets show where the money was spent and how effectively the money was spent.

Discuss some of the advantages and disadvantages associated with an alternative service delivery arrangement such as privatization. Do you believe that privatization is a plausible alternative for delivering public services?

Which of the following statements about bureaucratic discretion is true?

What role do agency heads play in the normal budget process?