The Executive: Definition and Historical Background
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In addition to reviewing basic facts about the executive branch - its role in the separated powers, its basic design, that sort of thing - this section walks through the historical development of the institution. Attention will be paid to the division of the executive power into a presidential - that is, political - and bureaucratic - that is, professional - component. The historical background will focus on the evolution of executive power over time. In a sense this is the flip side of the story told about the legislature. The increased power of the legislature came - thankfully - at the expense of the executive power, specifically the power of the British monarchy. As mentioned elsewhere, the result of this conflict is embedded in the language of the U.S. Constitution, the powers granted to the executive and the relationship is has with the other two branches.
Blog tags:
- Magna Carta.
- The Bureacracy.
- The Executive Branch.
- The Stuart Monarchy.
The US Executive - Constitutional Design
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After looking through the basic facts about the executive branch and the historical development of it, it's time to turn to the content of Article 2 of the Constitution. As with all the rest of the document, its as important to note what is not in it, as well as what is. This section walks through each article and offers commentary.
Blog Tags:
- Appointments.
- Commander in Chief.
- Electoral College.
- Executive Agreements.
- Executive Order.
- Executive Privilege.
- Judicial Appointments.
- Pardons.
- Recess Appointments.
- State of the Union.
- Treaty Making.
- Unitary Executive.
Presidential Power and the Bureaucracy
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It should be obvious to even the most casual student of history that the powers of the presidency has expanded considerably since the early years of the Republic. Congress has played a central role in this expansion by passing laws creating agencies to implement the laws it passes. This makes reducing the size of the executive difficult because constituencies develop that support these agencies. This section walks through the factors leading to that expansion and provides some detail about the bureaucracy.
Blog Tags:
- Agency Capture.
- Cabinet.
- Defense Department.
- EPA.
- Executive Agencies.
- Executive Office of the President.
- Executive Power.
- Federal Register.
- Going Public.
- Justice Department.
- Modern Presidency.
- Office of Legal Counsel.
- Presidential Advisers.
- Rulemaking.
- White House Staff.
The Presidency
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The most unique thing about the executive branch is that it is headed by one person. Multiple people occupy top offices in the legislative and judicial branches, but the efficiency deemed necessary to implement the law led to the idea that it would be best for one person to be charge of it. This means that the personal peculiarities of the president can have an impact on how the branch operates. This isn't entirely true since the actions of the president can be checked by the other two branches in addition to the members of the bureaucracy. Nevertheless, the reliance on the decision of one person has led to a line of research that analyzes presidential behavior and how they make decisions. This leads to the related question of what makes for good or bad presidents, in addition to great ones or failures. That's by and large the subject here.
Blog Tags:
- Abraham Lincoln.
- Cult of the Presidency.
- George Washington.
- Obama Administration.
- Obama Presidency.
