MPA Introduction 3

Question 1

Which organizational principle, advocated by Henri Fayol, states that each employee should receive orders from only one superior?

Accepted Answer

Unity of command

Answer

Unity of command holds that reporting to multiple superiors creates confusion and conflict, so each employee should have a single direct supervisor.

Question 2

POSDCORB, a classic framework describing the work of an executive, was developed by which public administration scholar?

Accepted Answer

Luther Gulick

Answer

Luther Gulick coined POSDCORB (Planning, Organizing, Staffing, Directing, Coordinating, Reporting, Budgeting) in his 1937 Papers on the Science of Administration.

Question 3

Which term describes the phenomenon where agencies continually expand their budgets and staff even when organizational goals have been accomplished?

Accepted Answer

Niskanen's Budget Maximization

Answer

William Niskanen's budget-maximizing model argues that bureaucrats rationally seek to expand their agency's budget to increase their own prestige and resources.

Question 4

In U.S. intergovernmental relations, a 'block grant' differs from a 'categorical grant' primarily because block grants:

Accepted Answer

Give states broad discretion in how funds are spent within a policy area

Answer

Block grants provide funds for broad functional areas (e.g., community development) with few federal strings, while categorical grants specify exact uses.

Question 5

The 'iron triangle' in U.S. politics refers to the mutually reinforcing relationships among which three actors?

Accepted Answer

Congressional committees, interest groups, and federal agencies

Answer

Iron triangles describe the closed policy subsystems where congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups mutually support each other's goals.

MPA - Master of Public Administration Practice Test

MPA - Master of Public Administration Practice Test

MPA Introduction 3