Bureaucratic dynamics

by B. Dan Wood

The authors of this volume seek to dispel two powerful "myths of the bureaucracy" - the belief that the federal bureaucracy is unresponsive to government and the belief that democracy itself is imperiled by an out-of-control bureaucratic process. Wood and Waterman contend that the process is in fact a highly dynamic and democratic one. Offering readable case studies and well-paired figures and tables (presented in both technical and nontechnical fashion), Bureaucratic Dynamics uses principal-agent theory to explain how the public policy system works. High-profile cases of eight federal agencies from the EPA to the FDA and discussions of major legislation such as the Clean Air Act help the authors provide a new perspective on the overall bureaucratic process for students and professionals of the bureaucracy, public policy, administration, and government regulation.