Bureaucracy
a large, complex administrative structure that handles the everyday business of an organization.
Bureaucrat
a person who works for a bureaucratic organization
administration
the officials in the executive branch of a government and their policies and principles.
Staff Agency
an agency that supports the chief executive and other administrators by offering advice and other assistance in the management of the organization
Line Agency
an agency which performs the tasks for which the organization exists.
Executive Office of the President
an organization of several agencies staffed by the president's closest advisors
federal budget
a detailed financial document containing estimates of federal income and spending during the coming fiscal year
fiscal year
the 12 month period used by a government and the business world for its record keeping, budgeting, revenue collecting, and other financial management purposes.
domestic affairs
all matters not directly connected to the realm of foreign affairs
executive departments
often called the cabinet departments, they are the traditional units of federal administration
civilian
nonmilitary
secretary
an official in charge of a department of government
attorney general
the head of the department of justice
independent agencies
additional agencies created by congress located outside the cabinet departments
independent executive agencies
agencies headed by a single administrator with regional subunits, but lacking cabinet status
civil service
those civilian employees who perform the administrative work of government
patronage
the practice of giving jobs to supporters and friends
spoils system
the practice of giving offices and other favors of government to political supporters and friends
draft
conscription or compulsory military service
independent regulatory commissions
independent agencies created by congress designed to regulate important aspects of the nations economy, largely beyond the reach of the presidential control
government corporation
corporations within the executive branch subject to the presidents direction and control, set up by congress to carry out certain business-like activities.