The Federal Bureaucracy and Separation of Powers

Abstract

The approaching bicentennial of the Constitution is provoking renewed interest in the political thought of the founding period. In this connection, this essay makes the case for drawing on the political reasoning of founders such as Hamilton to illuminate the place of the federal administration in our system of separated and divided powers. Particularly highlighted is the reliance placed by Hamilton and Madison on a sound administration to promote competence in government. The essay ends by illustrating how a proper understanding of the founders' reasoning could improve the way in which practitioners and theorists approach the role of the bureaucracy in the constitutional system.

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