An Assessment of the Positive Theory of 'Congressional Dominance'

by: Terry M Moe

Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 12, No. 4. (1987), pp. 475-520.

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Abstract

The positive theory of "congressional dominance" argues that Congress controls the bureaucracy. This article offers a critical assessment, in two parts. The first outlines the logical foundation of the theory, suggests why it is unsuited to an analysis of bureaucratic control, and argues that any conclusions of congressional dominance are logically unwarranted. The second addresses in detail the theory's best known empirical application—a study of the FTC, as reported in various articles by Weingast, Calvert, and Moran—and argues that it does not in fact support the theory's claims.

@article{citeulike:2741677, abstract = {The positive theory of "congressional dominance" argues that Congress controls the bureaucracy. This article offers a critical assessment, in two parts. The first outlines the logical foundation of the theory, suggests why it is unsuited to an analysis of bureaucratic control, and argues that any conclusions of congressional dominance are logically unwarranted. The second addresses in detail the theory's best known empirical application—a study of the FTC, as reported in various articles by Weingast, Calvert, and Moran—and argues that it does not in fact support the theory's claims.}, author = {Moe, Terry M. }, citeulike-article-id = {2741677}, doi = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/439745}, journal = {Legislative Studies Quarterly}, keywords = {american-politics, bureaucracy}, number = {4}, pages = {475--520}, posted-at = {2008-05-01 04:53:47}, priority = {2}, publisher = {Comparative Legislative Research Center}, title = {An Assessment of the Positive Theory of 'Congressional Dominance'}, url = {http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/439745}, volume = {12}, year = {1987} }

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TY - JOUR ID - citeulike:2741677 L3 - citeulike-article-id:2741677 N2 - The positive theory of "congressional dominance" argues that Congress controls the bureaucracy. This article offers a critical assessment, in two parts. The first outlines the logical foundation of the theory, suggests why it is unsuited to an analysis of bureaucratic control, and argues that any conclusions of congressional dominance are logically unwarranted. The second addresses in detail the theory's best known empirical application—a study of the FTC, as reported in various articles by Weingast, Calvert, and Moran—and argues that it does not in fact support the theory's claims. IS - 4 JF - Legislative Studies Quarterly EP - 520 TI - An Assessment of the Positive Theory of 'Congressional Dominance' PB - Comparative Legislative Research Center VL - 12 SP - 475 KW - american-politics KW - bureaucracy AU - Moe, Terry PY - 1987/// UR - http://dx.doi.org/10.2307/439745 ER -

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