The Politics of Presidential Appointments: Political Control and Bureaucratic Performance

By David E. Lewis

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many questioned whether the large number of political appointees in the Federal Emergency Management Agency contributed to the agency's poor handling of the catastrophe, ultimately costing hundreds of lives and causing immeasurable pain and suffering. The Politics of Presidential Appointments examines in depth how and why presidents use political appointees and how their choices impact government performance--for better or worse.


One way presidents can influence the permanent bureaucracy is by filling key posts with people who are sympathetic to their policy goals. But if the president's appointees lack competence and an agency fails in its mission--as with Katrina--the president is accused of employing his friends and allies to the detriment of the public. Through case studies and cutting-edge analysis, David Lewis takes a fascinating look at presidential appointments dating back to the 1960s to learn which jobs went to appointees, which agencies were more likely to have appointees, how the use of appointees varied by administration, and how it affected agency performance. He argues that presidents politicize even when it hurts performance--and often with support from Congress--because they need agencies to be responsive to presidential direction. He shows how agency missions and personnel--and whether they line up with the president's vision--determine which agencies presidents target with appointees, and he sheds new light on the important role patronage plays in appointment decisions.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Release date: Dec 16, 2010
• ISBN: 9781400837687

David E. Lewis

David E. Lewis was born and educated in South Australia. He received his B.Sc. (chemistry, 1972), Ph.D. (organic chemistry, 1980) and D.Sc. (chemistry, 2012) degrees from the University of Adelaide. In 1976, he moved to the U.S. as a Research Associate at the University of Arkansas. Following temporary faculty positions at Arkansas and Illinois, Lewis pursued his independent career at Baylor University (Assistant-Associate Professor; 1981-1988) and South Dakota State University (Associate-Full Professor; 1989-1977) before moving to the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire in 1997 as Professor of Chemistry. Lewis' research interests are in physical and synthetic organic chemistry, where his recent work has focused on the synthesis of useful molecules based on the 4-amino-1,8-naphthalimide chromophore. He also has an international reputation as an expert in the history of organic chemistry in Russia. He is the author of 100 papers and books, including several Essays in the history of chemistry for Angewandte Chemie, and is the holder of 18 U.S. Patents. Lewis is a Fellow of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute and the Royal Society of Chemistry, and is a former Chair of the Division of the History of Chemistry of the American Chemical Society (HIST). He was awarded the 2018 HIST Award for Outstanding Achievement in the History of Chemistry, and is one of three 2019 Markovnikov Medal Laureates. His collected works in the history of chemistry were translated into Russian in 2016.

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