Study Guide POS 3122 Final ExamSpring 2013Definition of bureaucracy and whom does it apply to at the state level?- It is the machinery of government- 5million across country - 112,000 in FL (lowest state employees per population) What do bureaucrats “do”?- Implement Policy - Regulate businesses and professions to Insure our safety (chiropractors, accountants… licensed)- Street-level bureaucrats - Help inform Policy Who are street-level bureaucrats?- accountants, air conditional contractors, beautificians, real estate, electrical contractors, landscape architecture, auctionners, talent agents, athlete agentsWhat are the two key components of civil service? - Assures employees are selected on merit, based on neutral competence- Also protects that employee from political change What are the advantages and disadvantages of civil service?- Impartial - Accountable- Professional/experts- Yet… also comes with red tape AND possible complacency What is bureaucratic discretion?- Ability of public employees to make decisions interpreting law and regulations- Oversight important so don't have “Bureaucratic drift”- Clientele groups- those who benefit from the program (teachers, construction workers are clientele)What is the definition of representative bureaucracy and why might it be important that the state work force be representative?- (if the make up is different than they rationalize that the representativeness will be different) - Idea that public sector should reflect makeup of the state in gender and race- Responsiveness (variety, diversity) - Symbolic (they aren’t all white guys from Harvard)What is the definition of collective bargaining?- 35% of state workers belong to unions- American Federation of State, Country and Municipal Employees (AFSCME)- The Irony of Wisconsin (first state to allow Collective Bargaining to its workers) What is affirmative action and what key court cases have defined it in recent decades?- (if two qualified people wanted job, female would get it)- CA proposition 209- prohibited race and gender consideration in public hiring- upheld by Supreme Court - 2 Supreme Court decisions on admissions University of Michigan o Grutter v. Bollinger- allowed consideration of raceIs the issue of affirmative action still being settled in the court? What is your evidence of this?2013 Supreme Court Cases- New Case- Fisher v. University of Texaso May overturn Grutter- Shuette v. Coalition to defend Affirmative Action o Michigan case- challenges state constitutional amendment Why is Wisconsin’s recent action on collective bargaining ironic?- Wisconsin in news lately for doing away with collective bargaining (excpet for police and fire). - Was the first state to permit collective bargaining. What are the advantages and disadvantages of public unions?- Disadvantages: 1. public officials are under pressure to settle labor disputes. 2. unions wield political clout 3. symbiotic relationship between unions and elected officials 4. strike as a political weapon - Advantages: Protect public employees when civil service protections aren’t adequate. What is privatization and how is it used by states? What is contracting out? Why is competitive bidding so important?- (shift government functions to private corporations or nonprofit)- Reduce state employees - Privatization o Contracting out (state will say we want someone to repair i10 and have a private group do it instead of state employees) (out for bids and incentives)o Vouchers (give recipients blank amount of money and saying… buy what you need) o Franchises (Give private sector use of public sector… State parks) o Public-private partnerships (enterprise FL, funding comes from people who pay to be on board)What are the pros and cons of contracting out?- Advantages: save money, higher quality service, new skills, more efficient service delivery- Disadvantages: lose control over contractors; situations where still responsible like prisons; not clear save money more than one time; maybe some issues shouldn’t contract out for—child protection, sensitive areasWhat are the some examples of where Florida has privatized by contracting out public services? - Outsourced projects totaled $50 billion FY 12-72 % of the budget - Prisons, health care for prisons, eligibility for food stamps, TANF, Child welfare, education How does Florida compare to other states regarding size of the public sector and payroll?- Relative small number of state employees- Lobbyist registered to lobby the executive branch 4,925 - Lobbyist registered to lobby the Legislative branch 3,235How does Florida “protect” collective bargaining for state employees?- Protected in state constitution Article 1, Section 6How do Florida’s bargaining rights compare to those of other Southern states?- Only Southern state with comprehensive bargaining rightsWhat is being done in the states to “reinvent government?”- Overhaul civil service system- Moved 16,000 Career Service employers to Selected Executive Service- Streamlined agency recruitment and selection- Performance bonuses- Out-sourced state’s personnel systemIs state bureaucracy a leader or follower in the use of technology? What are examples of how technology is being used? - E-government—use of information technology to simplify and improve interactions between governments and citizens/firms. In table in book, Florida 3rd in use of e-government.- Some oppose government notices—don’t know to look. What is Transparency Florida?- State Budgets - State contracts- Vendor payments- Where state dollars go Political scientists are generally more positive about interest groups than the general public?What is the political science argument defending them?- Play important role in democracy - --important mechanism for providing information for policymakers—generally the legislature but more and more- Often for executive branch and the courts.What provision in the U.S. constitution protects interest groups in Washington and in the states? - Constitution guarantees the people the right to petition the government for redress of grievances. When petitioning government is guaranteed, presence of lobbyists is assured. What do interest groups and their lobbyists do to influence policy?- includes providing entertainment, gifts, food and beverage- provide a threshold What are the trends across the states in numbers of lobbyists? Is this trend evident in every state?What are some reasons for this