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Faith and Sex, Presidents Under Pressure: Electoral Coalitions and Strategic Presidents
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ABSTRACT:
When restructuring the executive branch, presidents pursue a variety of strategies to gain political control and ensure compliance with administrative goals. Initial theories regarding administrative design centered on neutral competence where objective expertise, precision and specialization were deemed essential for administrating public goals. However, responsive competence, requiring loyalty and effectiveness, was imperative after the New Deal and the onset of the modern presidency. In this paper, we argue that changes in the office of the presidency, the electoral system, and the rising importance of special interests in building coalitions have rendered responsive action insufficient. In this paper, we introduce the concept of “benign competence” in the executive branch. Benign competence assumes that presidents, while favorably disposed towards a particular interest, feel the need to
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appease and control political metanarratives with reorganization strategies that include creation agencies that are minimally effective or benign in nature... To analyze the function of the “benign” office, we present two case studies: creation of the Office of Women’s Initiatives and Outreach (WHOWIO) during the Clinton administration; and creation of the Office of Faith Base and Community Initiatives (WHOFBI) during the Bush administration. Investigation of motives behind creation of these offices includes an exploration of the political environment shaping each President’s reoganizational choices. Review of strategies used by both presidents helps us to clearly distinguish president’s executive branch reorganization strategies.
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ABSTRACT:
When restructuring the executive branch, presidents pursue a variety of strategies to gain
political control and ensure compliance with administrative goals. Initial theories regarding
administrative design centered on neutral competence where objective expertise, precision
and specialization were deemed essential for administrating public goals. However,
responsive competence, requiring loyalty and effectiveness, was imperative after the New
Deal and the onset of the modern presidency. In this paper, we argue that changes in the
office of the presidency, the electoral system, and the rising importance of special interests in
building coalitions have rendered responsive action insufficient. In this paper, we introduce
the concept of “benign competence” in the executive branch. Benign competence assumes
that presidents, while favorably disposed towards a particular interest, feel the need to
both
appease and control political metanarratives with reorganization strategies that include
creation agencies that are minimally effective or benign in nature... To analyze the function
of the “benign” office, we present two case studies: creation of the Office of Women’s
Initiatives and Outreach (WHOWIO) during the Clinton administration; and creation of the
Office of Faith Base and Community Initiatives (WHOFBI) during the Bush administration.
Investigation of motives behind creation of these offices includes an exploration of the
political environment shaping each President’s reoganizational choices. Review of strategies
used by both presidents helps us to clearly distinguish president’s executive branch
reorganization strategies.
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