Executive and Bureaucracy Assignment

Essay: Executive and Bureaucracy Assignment Overview
The President has many ways in which to influence policy outcomes in the U.S. One keyway is through signing statements. The President is not the only member of the executive branch. The federal bureaucracy, which is made up of thousands of unelected civil servants, is tremendously powerful. However, there are processes by which the bureaucracy can be checked, and analysis of that process is part of this assignment.

Write an essay to answer the following 2 groups of questions. Note that each section contains some facts-based questions and some analysis/personal reflection questions. All elements of the paper, especially analysis and personal reflection, should be supported with facts and evidence from the course readings and outside readings.
1. The Presidency: Go to the University of California at Santa Barbara’s “The American Presidency Project” (found in the Essay: Executive and Bureaucracy Resource on the assignment page) and click on Presidential Signing Statements. Find three issued by George W. Bush and three from President Obama that raise questions about constitutionality or seek to change the implementation of the laws being signed. How are the concerns they raise similar? How are they different? Given what you have read in these signing statements, how concerned should we be about signing statements and why? How do signing statements relate to the idea of “Going Public” and the ability to persuade? Do they represent a failure to persuade, or one final attempt to persuade? Explain.
2. The Bureaucracy: Who should have the most control over the federal bureaucracy and why? Who does have the most control over the bureaucracy and why? Is the bureaucracy “too” powerful? Why or why not?
Develop your answer using a Biblical worldview, and support your answer with Scripture, course readings, and other academic, scholarly sources.

Requirements:
• A 3-5 page body, not including title page or bibliography page
• Use the following 2 headings, with subheadings as necessary: The Presidency, The Bureaucracy
• At least 5 sources, including course readings, presentations, outside scholarly sources, and Scripture
• 12-point Times New Roman font
• Double spaced with 1-inch margins and no extra spaces
• Current Turabian format with appropriate citations throughout
• Use clear examples and quotes to support your assertion(s). Remember, this is not an opinion piece, this is an objective scholarly analysis piece.
See the Essay: Executive and Bureaucracy Grading Rubric for specific guidelines and grading procedures.

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