Structure and Political Culture (or, Gov 20 Redux!)

 For Tuesday, read Schuck, ch. 5-6.

Which instrument?  "A policy may be cost-ineffective because it uses the wrong tool" (Schuck, 54).

• Direct bureaucratic administration (public schools)
• Government corporations and GSEs (Postal Service)
• Regulation (admin. rules)
• Insurance (FDIC; FSLIC and RTC)
• Information (websites)
• Taxes and Tax expenditures (mortgage interest)
• Grants and contracts (see the true size of government)
• Loans and loan guarantees (SBA)
• Vouchers
• Private cause of action

Some problems with various instruments:

• Equity
• Accountability (e.g., DeJoy)
• Information, Disinformation, Misinformation, and Persuasion
• Direct expenditure cost
• Unanticipated consequences, "invisible victims"
• Legal authority of the level of government

Which leads to DECENTRALIZATION (Schuck, 95)

• 1 federal government
• 50 states
• 3,301 counties
• 35,748 cities, towns, and other general-purpose governments
• 51,296 special-purpose governments (e.g., school districts)
• For a total of 90,126 US governments  (even more if you count Puerto Rico,  Guam, American Samoa, US Virgin Islands, and Northern Mariana Islands)
  
  

But wait, there's more!

• Bicameralism and separation of powers
• Plurality in the executive
• Independent regulatory commissions at the federal level
• Statewide elected officials (see California and Texas
• Citizens as policymakers: initiative and referendum

What is political culture?

• Individualism and Rights Talk
• US Polarization
• Distrust of experts

• Religion and Moralism