This volume discusses the long term impacts of the Trump presidency on the federal bureaucracy. Drawing on the longstanding academic literature on neutral competence and interviews with the bureaucrats themselves, this book adds insight to the academic question of the role of bureaucrats in a democratic system after a four-year period in which their role has been questioned and threatened as never before. Focusing on the elite agencies of the Office of Management and Budget, the Congressional Budget Office, the Government Accountability Office, as well as the Economic Research Service at the Department of Agriculture, the chapters evaluate individual experiences of members of each agency during the Trump presidency through the lens of the growing tension between politics and administration. Enlightening the role that bureaucrats play in American democracy in an era when polarization is on the rise and disputes over the role of the civil service are growing, this volume will be of interest to scholars and students in public policy, political science, and public administration as well as policymakers and members of the US federal government workforce.
Author(s): Stuart Shapiro
Publisher: Springer
Year: 2023
Language: English
Pages: 136
City: Cham
Acknowledgments
Contents
About the Author
Chapter 1: The Appeal of Neutral Competence
Politics and Administration: Neutrality and Competence
Competence
Neutrality
Non-academic Perspectives on Bureaucratic Neutrality (and Competence)
What Has Changed?
Chapter 2: Where to Find Neutral Competence
OMB, CBO, and GAO
The Office of Management and Budget
The Congressional Budget Office
The Government Accountability Office
Other Executive Branch Agencies
Talking to Agency Officials
Chapter 3: The Office of Management and Budget: When Responsive Competence Isn’t Enough
Introduction
The History of BoB/OMB
OMB’s Structure and People
The Perspective of OMB Employees
Competence at OMB
Neutrality at OMB
OMB Under Trump
Ukraine, Schedule F, and Neutral Competence
Conclusion
Chapter 4: Congressional Budget Office: Wonks Protected by Congressional Committees
A Brief History of Neutral Competence at CBO
CBO’s Nature, Structure, and People
The Perspective of CBO Employees
Competence at CBO
Neutrality at CBO
Challenges of Polarization and the Trump Era
Conclusion
Chapter 5: The Government Accountability Office: Redefining But Maintaining Neutral Competence
The History of GAO
GAO’s Structure and People
The Perspective of GAO Employees
Competence at GAO
Neutrality at GAO
Challenges of Polarization and the Trump Era
Conclusion
Chapter 6: The Economic Research Service: Attacking Neutral Competence by Going Around the Rules
The History of the ERS
The Move to Kansas City
Neutral Competence at ERS and the Move to Kansas City
Neutrality and Competence at ERS
Perspectives on the Move to Kansas City
Conclusion
Chapter 7: The Four Ps of Protecting Neutral Competence
People Who Create and Lead Neutral Competent Agencies
Procedural Protections for Neutral Competence
Political Support
The Paradox of Proximity to Power
Conclusion
OMB
ERS
CBO and GAO
Chapter 8: The State and Fate of Neutral Competence
The State of Neutral Competence
The Fate of Neutral Competence
Final Thoughts
Appendix: Interview Script
Introduction
Interview Questions
Conclusion
Bibliography
