The federal bureaucracy, policy-making process, and iron triangles as tested on AP US Government. Front: the term or concept. Back: a plain-language definition.
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- Bureaucracy
- A hierarchical organizational structure with specialized divisions and formal rules that implements public policy.
- Federal bureaucracy
- The collection of executive agencies and departments that implement and enforce federal laws and policies.
- Cabinet department
- A major executive department headed by a Secretary, created by Congress to manage a broad policy area such as Defense or State.
- Independent agency
- A federal agency established by Congress that operates outside the cabinet system, reporting directly to the President.
- Regulatory agency
- A federal agency with authority to create, enforce, and adjudicate rules in a specific policy area.
- Iron triangle
- A three-way alliance between a federal agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group that shapes policy in their mutual interest.
- Issue network
- A loose coalition of experts, interest groups, and government officials who share concern about a policy issue and influence each other.
- Bureaucratic discretion
- The authority of bureaucratic officials to make decisions and interpret laws within the boundaries set by statute and the courts.
- Rule-making
- The process by which a regulatory agency creates binding regulations that have the force of law.
- Administrative procedure
- The formal process that federal agencies must follow when making rules, including notice, public comment, and publication.
- Adjudication
- The bureaucratic process of hearing and deciding individual cases or disputes under existing agency rules.
- Merit system
- A civil service system in which government employees are hired and promoted based on ability and qualifications rather than political loyalty.
- Spoils system
- The practice of awarding government jobs to political supporters and allies of the winning candidate.
- Pendleton Act
- An 1883 law that created the civil service system and established merit-based hiring for federal employees.
- Entitlement program
- A government benefit program, such as Social Security or Medicare, where all individuals who meet eligibility requirements automatically receive benefits.