Whose bureaucracy is this, anyway? Congress, the President and public administration. (The 1993 John Gaus Lecture)

PS: Political Science & Politics, December, 1993 by Rourke, Francis E.

The American Constitution states that executive power is vested in the president while it authorizes Congress to create and finance the executive agencies that the president needs. This two-fold approach creates an ambiguity as to who wields power over the bureaucracy. Over the years, presidents generally sought efficiency while Congress was interested in agencies that would respond to their constituents' needs. The framers of the Constitution, by establishing joint custody of the bureaucracy, have ensured a bureaucracy that is responsible to the nation.

The 1993 John Gaus Lecture

Editor's Note: Francis E. Rourke, the Benjamin H. Griswold III Professor of Public Policy Studies of The Johns Hopkins University, was designated the John Gaus Distinguished Lecturer at the...

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