A Two Way Street

The Institutional Dynamics of the Modern Administrative State

"Krause has made a significant contribution to our understanding of presidential-congressional-bureaucratic relationships. His major contribution is that he pounds another nail - perhaps the final one - in the coffin of principal-agent theorizing and brings us back to traditional political analysis . . . he demonstrates that, however important one of the political branches might be at a given time, American bureaucracies retain sufficient power resources so as to exercise significant degrees of political autonomy - but political outcomes always are contingent.:
American Political Science Review

One of the central questions of political science has been whether politicians control the bureaucracy, or whether the bureaucracy possesses independent authority from democratic institutions of government. Relying on advanced statistical techniques and case studies, George Krause argues instead for a dynamic system of influence—one allowing for two-way interaction among the president, congress, and bureaucratic agencies. Krause argues that politicians and those responsible for implementing policy respond not only to each other, but also to events and conditions within each government institution as well as to the larger policy environment. His analysis and conclusions will challenge conventional theoretical and empirical wisdom in the field of administrative politics and public bureaucracy.

224 Pages, 6 x 9 in.

September, 1999

isbn : 9780822985891

about the author

George A. Krause

George A. Krause is Alumni Foundation Distinguished Professor of Public Administration at the University of Georgia.

learn more
George A. Krause