what are the difference between political executives (aka political appointees) versus career civil servants?
Political Executives (Appointees):
- chosen by elected officials
- temporary
- focus on setting policy/political leadership
- less job security
- often politically aligned with current government
Career Civil Servants:
- hired through a competitive, merit-based process
- permanent
- focus on implementing policy/managing operations
- more job protection under civil service rules
- expected to be neutral/nonpartisan
political executives (aka political appointees)
- About 20% of executive branch
- Most political appointees are the top tier of positions (cabinet heads, agency
leaders, etc.)
career civil servants
- The 80% of the executive branch
- Hiring, promotion, and removal governed by a host of formal rules and regulations
what are executive orders?
directives to federal agencies on implementation of federal laws (published in the Federal Register)
Why would a president issue an executive order?
- manage the executive branch
- implement policy quickly
- guide federal operations (especially when immediate action is needed/Congress won’t act)
what role does the president play in influencing the judiciary?
- nominating judges
- shaping legal priorities
- directing legal arguments through the Justice Department
- can’t control the courts, but their choices have long-term impact on the judicial system
what role does the president play in influencing the Federal Reserve Board (the Fed)?
- appointing its leadership
- shaping the broader economic agenda
- cannot directly control its decisions
- The Fed operates independently to protect sound economic policy from political interference
executive agreements versus treaties?
- Treaties: require Senate approval and are more formal and enduring.
- Executive agreements: are quicker and more flexible but less permanent
what are models of presidential greatness?
- Personality based models (James David Barber)
- Political context models (Stephen Skowronek)
- Institutional context models (Charles Cameron)
Personality based models (James David Barber)
- Personality characteristics developed in childhood
- Activity levels: how much energy they invest in the presidency (active or passive)
- Affect: how they approach the job/What’s their attitude toward the
job of being president? (positive or negative)
Political context models (Stephen Skowronek)
- Presidents find themselves in various historical circumstances beyond their direct control
- There are cycles to presidential politics
- 40 to 60 year party system cycles
Institutional context models (Charles Cameron)
- explain how political institutions shape strategic behavior and policy outcomes
- emphasizes that outcomes depend not just on preferences, but on the rules, procedures, and interactions between branches of government (especially regarding the veto process)
modern presidents manage a gigantic administrative state. What powers do presidents have to manage it? What are the limits on their ability to control the bureaucracy?
- Presidents have strong tools through appointments, budgets, and executive orders
- face structural limits from Congress, the courts, independent agencies, and the civil service system that protect bureaucratic independence.
what are the differences between fiscal and monetary policy?
Fiscal policy: taxes and spending is run by elected officials.
Monetary policy: interest rates and money supply are managed by the Fed (federal reserve board)
To what extent can the president influence either fiscal or monetary policy? What are the president’s limitations in each?
- president has strong formal influence over fiscal policy, but depends on Congress to act
- For monetary policy, the president’s influence is indirect and long-term, mainly through Fed appointments
- president has no direct control over daily monetary decisions
The Constitution lodges the power to declare war with the Congress. Yet since World War II the
President has been the main actor in US foreign affairs. What advantages do modern presidents
have over Congress that allows them to dominate US foreign policy?
- Modern presidents dominate U.S. foreign policy because they control the military and intelligence agencies
- can act quickly/secretly
- command public attention
- face a Congress that is slower and less unified, despite Congress’s formal constitutional power to declare war.
