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Difficulty: MediumControl of Civil Service and Bureaucratic Problems

In a modern democratic political system, legislative oversight of government ministries can be constrained by administrative complexities. Which of the following factors primarily accounts for parliament's dependence on civil servants during the policy implementation process?

  1. The specialized technical knowledge and institutional memory possessed by career civil servantsAnswer
  2. B
    The constitutional immunity enjoyed by senior civil servants protecting them from legislative queries
  3. C
    The supreme legislative veto power granted to the Civil Service Commission over parliamentary bills
  4. D
    The constitutional power of judicial review exercised directly by administrative directors over statutes

Answer

The specialized technical knowledge and institutional memory possessed by career civil servants
Career civil servants enjoy tenure of office and specialize in public administration over long periods. This grants them technical expertise and institutional memory that parliamentarians, who are elected temporarily, must rely on when formulating and scrutinizing detailed administrative policies.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Identify the core tension between legislative oversight bodies and administrative bureaucracies.
Recognized that while parliament holds legal oversight power, civil servants possess practical operational control.
Civil servants are permanent career professionals, whereas legislators are political office holders with varying technical backgrounds.
2
Analyze why lawmakers rely heavily on civil servants during implementation.
Pinpointed administrative expertise, technical specialization, and long-term experience as the main factors.
Drafting policy details and executing complex legislation requires specialized technical skills that legislators usually lack.

Key Concept

Bureaucratic Power and Legislative Oversight Constraints
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Topics

Control of Civil Service and Bureaucratic Problems

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