Bureaucracy Control Judges Decision and Lobbying Acts Discussion

Please respond to each of the four short response questions posted below. Your answers should be short, focused, and complete, ranging from one to three paragraphs. Please make sure to answer each specific part of every question. Successful answers will provide details and context that support your arguments and explain your position to the readers. You may also want to provide real world examples taken from the readings, lectures, group discussions, or your own independent thinking. These illustrations can be from the course materials or your own ideas. Providing this context and being able to apply the material to YOUR OWN understanding of politics really shows us that you have mastered the material.

Each answer will be worth 25 points, for 100 points total. The Question Set is due on Canvas at 11:59 pm on Tuesday, May 26th (this is shifted back one day because Monday, 5/25 is Memorial Day). You should upload your response as a docx file or PDF to the Question Set #4 assignment tab.

1. Who controls the bureaucracy? How do they do so? How does this competition affect the bureaucracy? Why and when do elected officials delegate power to the bureaucracy?
2. How do judges decide cases? Highlight several types of factors that contribute to their rulings. Why are the courts often considered the weakest branch? Why might this be wrong?
3. Highlight the types of benefits politicians and bureaucrats receive from interest groups. What is the pluralist defense of interest groups? What might undermine this perspective? Why might it not be so bad?
4. Describe the difference between insider and outsider lobbying tactics. What types of interest groups generally use each? Under what circumstances will one by more impactful than the other?