G. Calvin Mackenzie - Böcker

There exists a rich literature on the workings of the United States Congress, but The House at Work is the first book to focus on the institutional performance of the House of Representatives. A complete overview of the complex functioning and dynamics of Congress is presented by distinguished contributors, drawing upon both real-life experience and organization theory. Each essay presents material on activities central to legislative work in the House, including the internal operations of member and committee offices, the administrative support system of the House, the impact of organizational structure and information resources on individual decision making, the expanding application of computer technology, the character of the personnel system, and the processing of constituent casework. Nearly all contributors were professional staff members of the U.S. House Commission on Administrative Review in 1976 and 1977, whose analysis of the internal operations of the House was acomprehensive investigation. Their academic training, buttressed by significant practical experience on Capitol Hill, makes this book of great value to both students and scholars of the legislative process. In addition to the editors, the contributors include Glenn R. Parker, Thomas E. Cavanagh, Allan J. Katz, John R. Johannes, Thomas J. O'Donnell, David W. Brady, Louis Sandy Maisel, Susan Webb Hammond, Jarold A. Kieffer, James A. Thurber, and Jeffrey A. Goldberg.

For years now, Americans have called for a balanced budget, debt reduction, and fiscal sanity. Yet the federal government continues to spend beyond its income, driving the level of federal debt up and public confidence down. Why is that? Why have the monsters of public finance?pork-barrel spending, entitlements, and the deficit?remained unchecked f

Americans are disenchanted with politics, their government, and their leaders. For evidence, we don't have to look very far: the elections of 1994 turned over control of Congress for the first time in 40 years, and the new House Republicans' Contract with America was the biggest single anti-government initiative since the Boston Tea Party, with ter

This book discusses the principal concepts, the most prominent theories, the primary processes, and the language of American economic policy. It is intended for students of American politics as an introduction to the American political economy.

This book describes how American society has evolved over the past half century by examining the cultural context for political change. It explores the profound alterations that have occurred in American political process and discusses the reforms that have altered the American politics.

According to outspoken presidential scholar Cal Mackenzie, the presidential appointments process is a national disgrace. It encourages bullies and emboldens demagogues, silences the voices of responsibility, and nourishes the lowest forms of partisan combat. It uses innocent citizens as pawns in the petty games of politicians and stains the reputations of good people. It routinely violates fundamental democratic principles, undermines the quality and consistency of public management, and breaches simple decency. In short, at a time when the quality of political leadership in government matters more than ever, the procedures for ensuring that quality are less reliable than ever. How did we get into this distressing condition? What is wrong with the current appointments process? And, most important, what can we do to fix it? Innocent Until Nominated brings together ten of the country¡¯s leading scholars of government and politics to explore recent changes in the presidential appointments process and their effects on the ability of contemporary presidents to recruit and retain talented leaders. Each chapter provides a special focus on a range of topics including presidential transitions, the obstacle course of Senate confirmation, the morass of forms and questionnaires, and the exasperating, exhausting, and humiliating experiences of recent appointees. For scholars, students, and potential presidential recruits, the book offers a candid and revealing look at the failures of the appointments process... and how it has become a serious impediment to effective leadership of the executive branch. Contributors include Sarah A. Binder (Brookings Institution and George Washington University), E. J. Dionne Jr. (Brookings Institution and Washington Post), George C. Edwards III (Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University), Stephen Hess (Brookings Institution), Judith M. Labiner (Brookings Institution), Paul C. Light (Brookings Institution), Burdett Loomis (Robert J. Dole Institute for Public Service and Public Policy at the University of Kansas), James P. Pfiffner (George Mason University), and Terry Sullivan (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy).

In 1961, President John F. Kennedy signed Executive Order 10930, the first step in a long series of efforts to regulate the ethical behavior of executive branch officials. A few years later Lyndon B. Johnson required all senior officials to report assets and sources of non-government income to the Civil Service Commission. The reaction to Watergate opened the floodgates to more laws and rules: the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, subsequent expansions of that act in the 1980s and 1990s, and sweeping executive orders by Presidents George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton. The consequence of these aggressive efforts to scandal proof the federal government is a heavy accumulation of law and regulation administered by agencies employing hundreds of people and spending millions of dollars every year. Ethics regulation has been one of the steady growth sectors in the federal government for decades. This book explores the process that led to the current state of ethics regulation in the federal executive branch. It assesses whether efforts to scandal proof the federal government have been successful, what they have cost, and whether reforms should be considered. The book's chapters: describe the radical differences between the public service environment of yesteryear and today¡¦s heavy regulatory atmosphere provide an overview of government corruption and integrity in America through 1960 describe the evolution of the regulatory process and political factors that have led to its current incarnation assess the substance of existing ethics regulations as well as the size, cost, and complexity of the enforcement infrastructure employ survey research and other empirical data from various executive branch scandals to measure the efficacy of current ethics regulations Informed by research of unprecedented scope and depth, Scandal Proof provides a balanced assessment of the character and impact of federal ethics regulatory efforts--in

"This is a book that should set off needed conversations in every school and classroom and school board meeting—and the dinner table. Sometimes I wanted to quarrel with the authors, and that′s part of its genius. It always managed to provoke me to think and to engage with these dilemmas."—Deborah Meier, Senior Scholar and Adjunct ProfessorNew York University"The Mackenzies show us how to recognize moral dilemmas, employ guidelines for addressing them, and teach us how to resolve them on our own. A gift to educators, the educational profession, and to all who would behave ethically and professionally within it."—Roland Barth, Educational ConsultantGuidance for navigating the ethical dilemmas that teachers face!Teachers deal with ethical issues on a regular basis, from confidentiality regarding student information to discipline to communication. As moral exemplars, educators need guidance for handling such challenges. Written by an educator and a national authority on ethics, this professional development resource helps educators confront and resolve ethical questions.Featuring richly detailed, real-life case studies, this volume outlines the intricate relationship between ethical propriety and school success. Chapters focus on: The role of teachers in developing, sharing, and implementing ethical policies for their schoolsFour guiding principles—the Rule of Publicity, the Rule of Universality, the Rule of Benevolence, and the Golden Rule—for developing ethical approaches and practicesRelationships between teachers and students, colleagues, supervisors, parents, taxpayers, and other stakeholdersNow What? Confronting and Resolving Ethical Questions is a crucial tool for ensuring equality of opportunity and a quality learning environment for all involved in the educational process.

The Imperiled Presidency: Presidential Leadership in the 21st Century calls for a dramatic re-evaluation of the American president’s role within the separation of powers system. In contrast with claims by academics, pundits, media, and members of Congress, this provocative new book argues that the contemporary American presidency is too weak rather than too strong. Cal Mackenzie offers the contrarian argument that the real constitutional crisis in contemporary American politics is not the centralization and accumulation of power in the presidency, but rather that effective governance is imperiled by the diminished role of the presidency. The product of more than three years of research and writing and nearly four decades of the author’s teaching and writing about the American presidency, The Imperiled Presidency is the first book-length treatment of the weaknesses of the modern presidency, written to be accessible to undergraduates and interested citizens alike. It engages with a wide range of literature that relates to the presidency, including electoral politics, budgetary politics, administrative appointments, and the conduct of foreign affairs. It would be a useful complement to courses that rely primarily on a single textbook, as well as courses that are built around more specific readings from a range of books and articles.