Machinery of government

Machinery of government

The Machinery of Government (sometimes MOG) means the interconnected structures and processes of government, such as the functions and accountability of departments in the executive branch of government. The term is used particularly in the context of changes to established systems of public administration where different elements of machinery [For example, a Number 10 Press Notice on May 5, 2006 was entitled "Machinery of Government changes" in announcing the creation of a new department of the British Government, accessed at [http://www.number10.gov.uk/output/Page2517.asp] June 12, 2006] are created.

The phrase “machinery of government” is thought to have originated with John Stuart Mill in Considerations on Representative Government [Mill, J.S. (1861) Considerations on Representative Government, Chapter V; editions include Kessinger, ISBN 0-7661-8898-1; text accessed at University of Texas at Austin [http://www.la.utexas.edu/research/poltheory/mill/repgov/repgov.c05.s01.html] June 12, 2006] (1861). It was notably used to a public audience by President FD Roosevelt in a radio broadcast [Roosevelt, F.D. "Fireside Chat" broadcast September 30, 1934 accessed at Mid-Hudson Regional Information Center [http://www.mhric.org/fdr/chat6.html] June 12, 2006] in 1934, commenting on the role of the National Recovery Administration (NRA) in delivering the New Deal. A number of national governments including those of Australia, Canada, South Africa and the United Kingdom have adopted the term in official usage.

For example, the South African Government has published a handbook ["The Machinery of Government: Structure and Functions of Government" (2003), Department for Public Service and Administration, South Africa accessed at [http://www.dpsa.gov.za/documents/lkm/mog.pdf] June 12, 2006] entitled “The Machinery of Government: Structure and Functions of Government” which aims to describe the Government’s entire structure including "other important bodies such as parastatals, statutory commissions, public entities, and research institutions."

References

Further reading

* Nethercote, J. (1999) "Departmental Machinery of Government Since 1987" Research Paper 24 1998-99, Parliamentary Library, Australia accessed at [http://www.aph.gov.au/library/pubs/rp/1998-99/99rp24.htm] June 12, 2006
* "Machinery of Government Reform: Principles and Practice" in "The Organisation of Central Government Departments: A History 1964-1992", ESRC Whitehall Programme accessed at Nuffield College, University of Oxford [http://www.nuff.ox.ac.uk/politics/whitehall/Machinery.html] June 12, 2006
* "Constitutional, legal and Government framework: Machinery of Government changes", Australian Public Service Commission [http://www.apsc.gov.au/foundations/machinerygovernment.htm]


Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.

Игры ⚽ Поможем сделать НИР

Look at other dictionaries:

  • machinery of government — noun 1. the interconnected processes and structures of government. 2. (in Australia and other countries with the Westminster system) the administrative arrangements by which responsibility for the different areas of government is divided between… …  

  • machinery — ma‧chin‧e‧ry [məˈʆiːnəri] noun [uncountable] 1. MANUFACTURING FARMING equipment that uses power such as electricity or petrol: • agricultural machinery • industrial machinery ˌheavy maˈchinery …   Financial and business terms

  • machinery — [mə shēn′ər ē, məshēn′rē] n. pl. machineries 1. machines collectively 2. the working parts of a machine 3. any combination of things or persons by which something is kept in action or a desired result is obtained [the machinery of government] 4.… …   English World dictionary

  • Government agency — A government or state agency is a permanent or semi permanent organization in the machinery of government that is responsible for the oversight and administration of specific functions, such as an intelligence agency. There is a notable variety… …   Wikipedia

  • government — From the Latin gubernaculum. Signifies the instrument, the helm, whereby the ship to which the state was compared, was guided on its course by the gubernator or helmsman, and in that view, the government is but an agency of the state,… …   Black's law dictionary

  • government — From the Latin gubernaculum. Signifies the instrument, the helm, whereby the ship to which the state was compared, was guided on its course by the gubernator or helmsman, and in that view, the government is but an agency of the state,… …   Black's law dictionary

  • machinery — ma|chin|e|ry S3 [məˈʃi:nəri] n [U] 1.) machines, especially large ones agricultural/industrial/factory etc machinery ▪ The use of heavy machinery has damaged the site. ▪ an expensive piece of machinery 2.) a system or set of processes for doing… …   Dictionary of contemporary English

  • machinery — ma|chin|er|y [ mə ʃinəri ] noun uncount ** 1. ) machines: machinery used in the wool industry agricultural/industrial machinery You should not drive or operate machinery after taking the medicine. a ) the moving or working parts of a machine 2. ) …   Usage of the words and phrases in modern English

  • machinery */*/ — UK [məˈʃiːnərɪ] / US [məˈʃɪnərɪ] noun [uncountable] 1) a) machines agricultural/industrial machinery You should not drive or operate machinery after taking the medicine. b) the moving or working parts of a machine 2) an established system for… …   English dictionary

  • machinery — /meuh shee neuh ree/, n., pl. machineries. 1. an assemblage of machines or mechanical apparatuses: the machinery of a factory. 2. the parts of a machine, collectively: the machinery of a watch. 3. a group of people or a system by which action is… …   Universalium

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”