The Problems of Political Appointees in Federal Government: Causes, Effects, and Solutions

By Matthew Howard

This academic literature review illuminates the numerous political and social effects of the federal government's current approach to staffing leadership positions in its agencies with short-term political appointees rather than career administrators. This scholarly work delves into the historical causes for the appointee system, its current detrimental effects on America's government and its people, and the potential solutions for reforming this flawed approach to governmental leadership. 8,500 words plus references.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Matthew Howard
• Release date: May 17, 2022
• ISBN: 9781005144104

Matthew Howard

Matthew is a mammalian vertebrate who occupies spacetime, where he possesses mass and generates electromagnetic fields. He absorbs and reflects photons, and is currently recycling his own body weight in adenosine triphosphate every day.

Book preview

The Problems of Political Appointees in Federal Government:

Causes, Effects, and Solutions

By Matthew Howard

The Problems of Political Appointees in Federal Government: Causes, Effects, and Solutions. © 2017, 2020 by Matthew Howard. All Rights Reserved.

Smashwords Ebook Edition ISBN-13: 978-1-00514-410-4

Paperback Edition ISBN-13: 979-8-55965-455-3

Contents

Author’s Note

I. Introduction: Significance

A. Size.

B. Morale and Performance.

C. Accountability.

D. International Scope.

II. Summary of the Literature

A. Relevant Terminology: Types and Numbers of Appointees.

B. Theories and Concepts.

Strategic Human Capital Management.

Federal Assessment Tools.

C. Historical Background.

Why Appointees?

Poor Performance.

Public Disservice.

Ineffectiveness of Short Terms.

D. Contemporary Background.

The GAO and Political Appointees as Labor.

Evolving Attitudes of Political Appointees.

Evolving Policy about Political Appointees.

Evolving Powers of Political Appointees.

E. Limitations of Previous Research.

Lack of Data.

Biases in Reporting.

Government Studying Itself.

Focus on Performance.

III: Implications of Current Findings

References

Author’s Note

This work was originally a literature review completed for my graduate coursework in Public Administration in December 2016.

Articles found only online or in other non-paginated reproductions of the original text are cited in the text as (Author, Year) without a page number. Page numbers of the original printed text, where verified, are shown in the References section.

I. Introduction: Significance.

What are the effects of the short terms served by politically appointed leaders in the federal government? The literature relevant to this question reveals that short-term service is only part of the problem with political appointees, and that the downsides of the short terms are inextricably linked to other undesirable results of the appointee system. A simple solution such as extending the terms to greater lengths would potentially reduce the negative results of short-term service, but not address certain fundamental flaws in the system. Therefore, this literature review will address the totality of the negative results and the recent research into them—a broader scope than the original question, but one granting an important perspective on the matter, and the elements of its solution.

To be fair, political appointees do more than present problems. They are often valuable assets whose contribution to governmental operations should be acknowledged before we critically examine their shortcomings and negative effects. In government, no fine line exists between administration and politics. The two are tightly woven together, much more so than in the private sector where many workers can simply get the job done without worrying too much about political maneuvering. In the politically charged reality of the federal government,