Evaluating Political Signals

Abstract

The bureaucratic response literature has focused on the quantity and timing of agency outputs in response to political signals. This focus on quantity rather than more qualitative measures such as the content and character of response has made it difficult to fully understand the causes and conditions under which response occurs in relation to a given signal. In the context of minority preference purchasing policy in the State of Florida, this study examines the relationship between political signals and the content and character of bureaucratic response-what is referred to here as the nature of bureaucratic response. A theory is developed and supported through interview and archival data to suggest that bureaucratic actors evaluate signals and policymaker intentions in determining if and how to respond. The article also provides one of the first in-depth examinations of the inner workings of minority preference purchasing.

A State-Level Examination of Bureaucratic Policymaking

“…Rules are proposed and developed by unelected, high-level agency bureaucrats and managers who have substantive knowledge in the rulemaking policy area (Kerwin, 2011). 7 Although subject to some institutional constraints (Kerwin, 2011;Moe, 2006;Terman, 2012Terman, , 2013), 8 agency actors are given substantial policymaking discretion in terms of the basic promulgation of rules in addition to the timing and intensity of their rulemaking activity (Worsham & Gatrell, 2005).…”