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Chapter 14: The Bureaucracy

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Flash Cards

Practice Quiz

Critical Thinking and Learning Exercises

  1. One of the job responsibilities of some political scientists is to conduct research. Among the many topics of research is the study of the U.S. Congress. In 2013 the Federal Continuing Appropriations Act prohibited the funding of political science topics unless they pertained to the national security or economic interests of the United States. Research the 2013 Federal Continuing Appropriations Act. Research the National Science Foundation using the following link: http://www.nsf.gov/funding/. What is the role of the National Science Foundation as a bureaucratic agency? What is the role of the political science division of the National Foundation Act? What are your thoughts regarding Congress's decision to limit the funding to the political science division?
  2. The National Security Agency (NSA) came under fire for violating policy rules in conducting surveillance on American citizens. Look at the NSA's website (http://www.nsa.gov/) and research the duties and responsibilities of the NSA. Identify and describe some of the violations that were committed by the NSA. Who is responsible for holding the NSA accountable if it violates the civil liberties of U.S. citizens? What are the consequences if the NSA is found in violation of Americans' civil liberties?

  3. Political candidates often run on a platform that includes the downsizing of the U.S. federal government. These candidates often indicate that such downsizing would decrease U.S. spending. Dating back to 1976, chronicle the number of federal employees by each administration by using the following links:

    http://www.forbes.com/sites/mikepatton/2013/01/24/the-growth-of-the-federal-government-1980-to-2012/

    http://voices.washingtonpost.com/federal-eye/2010/09/how_many_federal_workers_are_t.html

    Based on your findings, under which administration did the largest number of federal employees exist? Under which administration did the smallest number of federal employees exist? Are there any differences between the Democrats and the Republicans? If so, which party (on average) has the largest number of bureaucrats?

Links to further Resources

Index of U.S. Government Departments and Agencies

http://www.usa.gov/directory/federal/index.shtml

This A–Z index provides access to the websites of the myriad of departments and agencies that make up the federal bureaucracy.

The General Services Administration's Overview of Federal Regulatory Policy

http://www.gsa.gov/portal/content/104848

The GSA is one of the central management agencies of the federal government. This website provide a brief overview of federal regulatory policy, and several links to other important regulatory agencies and reports on federal regulation.

How to Get a Job in the Federal Bureaucracy

http://www.ehow.com/how_6226194_job-federal-bureaucracy.html

This website provides helpful information on how you would go about applying for jobs in the federal bureaucracy. How do the instructions here exemplify the bureaucratic value of neutral competence? How is the process of gaining employment in a public bureaucracy different from the same process for a private business?

The Office of Personnel Management (Formerly the Civil Service Commission)

http://www.opm.gov/

The government agency that manages the personnel decision making of the federal government is the Office of Personnel Management, which until 1978 was known as the Civil Service Commission. The original Civil Service Commission was created in 1883 by the Pendleton Act, which brought the value of neutral competence to the forefront of American bureaucracy.