MERIT SYSTEM: A professional system of personnel administration, free from political
interference, in which selection and progress in the service are based upon the performance,
expertise, and technical qualifications of each employee, measured objectively, (often through open,
competitive examinations), accompanied by the development of a position classification and salary
standardization system and administered through offices of personnel administration and a central
civil service commission.
MIXED SCANNING: A model of decision making that combines the rational-comprehensive
model's emphasis on fundamental choices and long-term consequences with the incrementalists'
emphasis on changing only what needs to be changed in the immediate situation.
MODERN ORGANIZATION THEORY: A body of theory emphasizing empirical examination of
organizational behavior, interdisciplinary research employing varied approaches, and attempts to
arrive at generalizations applicable to many different kinds of organizations.
MONOPOLY GOVERNMENT: A public sector characterized by a single government.
NATIONAL CONSUMPTION TAX: Federal taxes levied on the consumption of goods and
services.
NATIONAL DEBT: The sum of all unpaid public debt.
NEGATIVE EXTERNALITIES: When private markets fail to allocate resources on the basis of full
social costs.
NEGATIVE INCOME TAX POLICY: Provides a minimum amount of income for all members of
society.
NET FEDERAL DEBT: Gross federal debt minus debt held by federal agencies.
NET INTEREST EXPENDITURES: Interest expenses from borrowing less the interest fees from
lending.
NEW PUBLIC ADMINISTRATION: A general movement inspired mainly by younger scholars
who challenged several tenets of public administration, primarily the emphasis upon value-neutrality
in administrative research and practice, and appealed to scholars and practitioners to take a more
proactive role, guided not only by the search for efficiency, but by a sensitivity to the forces of
change, the needs of clients, and the problems of social equity in service delivery.
NEUTRAL COMPETENCE: The belief that a neutral public bureaucracy following the mandates
of a legislative body will meet the requirements of democracy.