This study introduces a measurement approach to test a core precept in the study of bureaucratic politics and public organizations. First, we quantify James Q. Wilson's famous agency typology by the relative observability of agency outcomes. We code over 20,000 stated objectives from Performance...

In this essay, we explore the question of “who, if anyone, controls the federal bureaucracy?” In doing so, we look at the issue of delegation — a fundamental of American representative democracy. We focus on the two constitutional institutions imbued with direct electorally delegated...