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GOVT - Ch 13
The Bureaucracy
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| bureaucrat | An individual who works in a bureaucracy; generally used, a government employee. |
| bureaucracy | A large, complex, hierarchically structured administrative organization that carries out specific functions. |
| independent executive agency | An federal agency that is not located within a cabinet department. |
| partisan politics | Political actions or decisions that benefit a particular party. |
| independent regulatory agency | A federal organization that is responsible for creating and implementing rules that regulate private activity and protect the public interest in a particular sector of the economy. |
| government corporation | An agency of the government that is run as a business enterprise; primarily engage in commercial activities, produce revenues, and require greater flexibility. |
| civil service | nonmilitary government employees. |
| legislative rule | An administrative agency rule that carries the same weight as a statute enacted by a legislature. |
| enabling legislation | A law enacted by a legislature to establish an administrative agency; normally specifies name, purpose, composition, and powers of agency. |
| adjudicate | To render a judicial decision; in administrative law, the process in which an administrative law judge hears and decides issues that arise when an agency charges a person or firm with violating a law or regulation enforced by the agency. |
| rulemaking | The process undertaken by an administrative agency when formally proposing evaluating, and adopting a new regulation. |
| neutral competency | The application of technical skills to jobs without regard to political issues. |
| iron triangle | A three-way alliance among legislators, bureaucrats, and interest groups to make or preserve policies that benefit their respective interests. |
| issue networks | Groups of individuals or organizations - which consist of legislators and legislative staff members, interest group leaders, bureaucrats, the media, scholars, and other experts - that support particular policy positions on a given issue. |
| whistleblower | In the context of government employment, someone who reports to authorities on gross governmental inefficiency, illegal action, or other wrongdoing. |
| privatization | The transfer of the task of providing services traditionally provided by government to the private sector. |