The Unwieldy American State offers a political and legal history of the administrative state from the 1940s through the early 1960s. After Progressive Era reforms and New Deal policies shifted a substantial amount of power to administrators, the federal government's new size and shape made one question that much more important: how should agencies and commissions exercise their enormous authority? In examining procedural reforms of the administrative process in light of postwar political developments, Grisinger shows how administrative law was shaped outside the courts. Using the language of administrative law, parties debated substantive questions about administrative discretion, effective governance and national policy, and designed reforms accordingly. In doing so, they legitimated the administrative process as a valid form of government.

"To some extent Hoover's policies anticipated directions that would be pursued by modern environmentalists. The National Conference on Outdoor Recreation brought together wilderness advocates and urban planners, and passage of the first federal law to limit oil pollution in navigable waters marked the beginning of an ongoing effort to control the effects of industrialization on the environment. Hoover's advocacy of pleasant, affordable housing introduced the idea that our everyday environment is the starting point for environmental concerns."--BOOK JACKET.

From Caligula and the time of ancient Rome to the present, governments have relied on experts to manage public programs. But with that expertise has come power, and that power has long proven difficult to hold accountable. The tension between experts in the bureaucracy and the policy goals of elected officials, however, remains a point of often bitter tension. President Donald Trump labeled these experts as a 'deep state' seeking to resist the policies he believed he was elected to pursue—and he developed a policy scheme to make it far easier to fire experts he deemed insufficiently loyal. The age-old battles between expertise and accountability have come to a sharp point, and resolving these tensions requires a fresh look at the rule of law to shape the role of experts in governance.

The ABA Journal serves the legal profession. Qualified recipients are lawyers and judges, law students, law librarians and associate members of the American Bar Association.

The most comprehensive reference on the state's most precious resource is now back in print.

Includes entries for maps and atlases.

This bestselling reference examines all major areas in public administration from the enlightening perspectives of history and the five "great" concepts or theories framing each topic, including public budgeting, financial management, decision making, public law and regulation, and political economy. The American Reference Books Annual calls this ". . .stimulating and thought-provoking....thorough and inclusive....a valuable contribution.," and Canadian Public Administration said it is "....impressive...an extremely useful reference tool... the writing and analysis and the scope of the coverage make the volume a good investment for both government and university libraries."