Public Bureaucracy

Catalog description

The influence of bureaucratic policymaking looms large. Some estimates suggest that 90% of laws in the United States arise government agencies, not from elected legislatures. When do public bureaucracies abet democratic governance? When do they disrupt or abet anti-democratic political forces? What roles do “publics” play in “public bureaucracy?” This course on public bureaucracy considers these questions—and many more—through its systematic study of bureaucratic structures, politics, operations, and implications for democratic governance. The course provides opportunities to critique and construct theories and empirical analyses of public bureaucracies. It also provides opportunities for students to prepare for the comprehensive exams and to develop research agendas. This graduate course counts either as an American Politics or Comparative Politics elective for the doctoral program in political science, and it does not have prerequisites.