Bureaucracy and Public Administration Exam Questions with Verified Answers Latest Update 2024

Bureaucracy and Public Administration Exam Questions with Verified Answers Latest Update 2024 What are the 4 types of government agencies? - Answers Departments, Independent Regulator Commissions, government corporations, and independent agencies. What is a department? - Answers The oldest type of agency. Unitary and pyramidal in shape. Leaders appointed by president; called "secretarys." What is an Independent Regulatory Commission (IRC)? - Answers Power is plural; vote on decisions. Fixed terms (4 years). Regulates market segments of the economy that are failing due to... 1. Concentration of power (monopolies) 2. Manipulation of markers (inside information) 3. No market (natural monopoly) 4. Collective goods dilemma (decisions in which individuals must weigh personal interests against the collective interest, which is typically a communal resource, a public good) What is a government corporation? - Answers Sells a product/service for agency's revenue/ income. (USPS, Corporation of Public Broadcasting) What is an independent agency? - Answers Looks like a department but lacks the prestige; not part of cabinet. (NASA, OPM, FCC, EPA) What are the 4 types of agency functions? - Answers National maintenance, clientele services, regulation, income redistribution, and rule interpretation Explain the role of national maintenance - Answers Raises money for gov (taxes). National security (defense), diplomacy (state), law enforcement (justice) Explain the role of clientele servies - Answers Provides services to segments: agriculture, labor, commerce, education, health/human servies Explain the role of regualtion - Answers Regulates concentrated economic wealth/ poor environmental quality to protect the public Explain role of income redistribution - Answers Progressive tax structure provides benefits across income levels (welfare, medicare, medicaid, housing vouchers, student loans, protections for income, loans) Name the 3 types of powers - Answers Rule making, rule adjudication, and rule interpretation / admin discretion Define rule-making - Answers How to achieve their mission. Delegated task by Congress, agency decides how to implement Define rule adjudication - Answers Administrative law. Administration judges: job is to hear facts, decide penalties Define rule interpretation / admin discretion - Answers Heads have ability to push back against president's orders. example--Cuban missile crisis: general went against Kennedy's direct order to position blockade closer to Cuba Name the 4 types of government workers? - Answers Civil servants, political appointees, Senior Executive Service (SES), and contract workers What are civil servants? - Answers Most common type (2.7 million). These replaced patronage with non-political careers What are political appointees - Answers 2-3,000 people. Some require senate confirmation. What are Senior Executive Services/. - Answers 7,000 people. Hybrid of civil servants and political appointees. What are contract workers? - Answers Not unionized, can be hired or fired easily, few benefits. Saves gov lots of money in benefits. The segment has grown lots since 90s. Name 4 ways pattern of growth is studies in government bureaucracy? - Answers Number of organizations/departments, employment, spending, and rule-making Describe the growth of # of governmental organizations? - Answers Began with 3; today there are 15 Describe the growth of government employment? - Answers Began with less than 3,000 people; today around 2 million.As private sector has grown, public sector has decreased. Per capita, we've seen a steady decline since 60s -- possibly filled by gov contractors? Describe the growth in gov spending? - Answers Since 40s, we've seen lots of growth. Mandatory spending has dramatically increased lately. Discretionary varies greatly, largely affected by divided government