THE HUMAN FACE OF THE BUREAUCRACY
E Describe who bureaucrats are and the regulations that govern their employment. Pages 339–42
SUMMARY
The regulations within the civil service system were estab-
lished to separate politics from policy—rather than getting
and retaining a job for political considerations, individuals
are hired based on merit and are quite diffi cult to fi re. On the
other hand, the president makes senior level appointments
that are not protected by civil service regulations and are
more political in nature. These appointments are instru-
mental in helping the president control the bureaucracy.
CRITICAL THINKING AND DISCUSSION
What are the advantages and disadvantages of the fact that
bureaucrats often have their own preferences about how to
implement the policies they administer?
PRACTICE QUIZ QUESTIONS
- Which job category is most common in the
bureaucracy?
a) clerks and secretaries
b) management, business, and fi nancial jobs
c) farming, fi shing, and forestry jobs
d) scientists and engineers
e) maintenance jobs
11. The civil service regulations the fl ex-
ibility that managers have in their hiring decisions and
the infl uence of elected offi cials.
a) decrease; decrease
b) increase; increase
c) increase; decrease
d) decrease; increase
e) increase; have no eff ect on
S PRACTICE ONLINE
“Big Think” video exercise: What Happens Inside the
Department of Defense?PRACTICE QUIZ QUESTIONS
- What is the job of the Offi ce of Management and Budget?
a) preparing the annual budget proposal for the
Congress
b) preparing the annual budget proposal for the
president
c) preparing annual budget proposals for the states
d) monitoring government spending for the Supreme
Court
e) monitoring government spending for the Congress - Independent agencies have freedom
from oversight than executive departments; and
be controlled by the president through
his appointees.
a) more; cannot
b) more; can
c) less; cannot
d) less; can
9. The federal budget continues to grow because
.
a) bureaucrats are budget maximizers
b) politicians do not scrutinize budget requests
c) government agencies are never eliminated
d) the public does not support large-scale budget
cuts
e) a growing percentage of Americans are going into
civil service
S PRACTICE ONLINE
“Critical Thinking ” exercise: Process Matters—Executive
Agencies and Bureaucratic Organization352 CHAPTER 11|THE BUREAUCRACY