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POL 313
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The Presidency The "Political Battle Between the President and the Bureaucracy |
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which outlasts a particular president's administration has thus set up the potential for conflict within the executive branch of government. presidential appointees vs. career bureaucrats the two parts of the bureaucracy have very different agendas and very different lines of accountability presidential appointees are responsible to the president and as such are involved in articulating and implementing administration policy goals and objectives career bureaucrats are more concerned about the other two parts of the "cozy triangle" (congressional committeepersons and interest groups) and protecting "cozy triangle" interests Most especially, career bureaucrats are generally interested in expanding the power and influence of their agency (a rational goal for a bureaucratic actor) even if that runs contrary to the public's interest (and/or the President's interest) It is thus not uncommon for the President and his appointees to be battling career bureaucrats! What advantages does a president have in this situation? Can a career bureaucrat just "wait out" any administration? Some president's have attempted to utilize the threat of bureaucratic reorganization to get recalcitrant bureaucracies to do what the president wants! Generally these threats have not been very effective as the threat of reorganization is a problem for other parts of the "cozy triangle" and opposition from congresspersons whose influence may be lessened via the reorganization try to block any attempts to change the status quo. presidents can threaten to cut off funding of the agency--- Congress often refuses to do this a president may hope that "benign neglect" may help the agency to knuckle to the president's wishes usually all three of these are doomed to failure this is especially true when we have divided government however it is also true when one part control both branches!! |