The Art of Policymaking

Dr. George E. Shambaugh, IV is Professor of International Affairs and Government at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, Director of the Masters of Science in Foreign Service Program, and former chairman of the Department of Government at Georgetown University. He holds a Ph.D. and M. Phil. in Political Science, and an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University, as well as a B.A. in Government and Physics from Oberlin College. His research focuses on international political economy, international politics, foreign policy, and the environment. Dr. Shambaugh is the author of Oracles, Heroes or Villains: Economic Policymakers, National Politicians, and the Power to Shape Markets (Cambridge 2019), States, Firms, and Power: Successful Sanctions in U.S. Foreign Policy (SUNY, 1999), co-author of the first and second editions of The Art of Policymaking: Tools, Techniques, and Processes in the Modern Executive Branch (Longman, 2003, Sage 2016), co-editor of Anarchy and the Environment: The International Politics of Common Pool Resources (SUNY, 1999), and co-editor of three issues of Taking Sides: Clashing Views on Controversial Issues in American Foreign Policy (McGraw-Hill, 2006, 2008, 2010). His articles have appeared in a range of journals, including the PLoS One, Sustainability, American Journal of Political Science, International Studies Quarterly, The Journal of Peace Research, Review of International Studies, Analyses of Social Issues and Public Policy, International Politics, Environmental Politics, International Interactions, and Security Dialogue. He has received grants and awards from the National Science Foundation, the Smith Richardson Foundation, the Social Science Research Council, the MacArthur Foundation, the International Studies Association, the American Political Science Association, and the Oberlin Alumni Foundation, and he has been a MacArthur Foundation and Dwight D. Eisenhower/Clifford Roberts Fellow. Paul J. Weinstein, Jr. is the Cofounder and Director of the Graduate Program in Public Management at Johns Hopkins University. He also directs the schools Masters program in Nonprofit Management. He holds an M.A. in International Affairs from Columbia University and a B.S. in Foreign Service from Georgetown University. A veteran of two presidential administrations, he was senior adviser to the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform (Simpson-Bowles), which President Obama created to address the nation’s mid- and long-term fiscal challenges. Weinstein formerly served as special assistant to the president and chief of staff of the White House Domestic Policy Council and then later as Senior Advisor for Policy Planning to Vice President Gore during the Clinton Administration. Before that, Weinstein served as a senior legislative aide to then-Representative C. Thomas McMillen (D-MD) and then-Senator Albert Gore, Jr. (D-TN). Since 2001, Weinstein has served as a senior fellow at the Progressive Policy Institute, where he was chief operating officer for five years. He currently serves on the organization’s advisory board. He also consults for the IntraFi Network and is the primary author of its quarterly bank survey. He has advised numerous elected officials, including former governors Jennifer Granholm and Christine Gregoire, and has worked for or advised five presidential candidates. Weinstein has taught at Johns Hopkins University since 2003 and has also lectured at Columbia University and Georgetown University. He is co-author of the first and second editions of The Art of Policymaking: Tools, Techniques, and Processes in the Modern Executive Branch (Longman, 2003, Sage 2016). He has written chapters in a number of other books, and his writing has also appeared in USA Today, The Atlantic, The Boston Globe, The Baltimore Sun, CNN, New York Newsday, Forbes, Investor’s Business Daily, San Francisco Chronicle, New York Daily News, and Politico, among others.

CHAPTER 1: WHY THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS MATTERS
Objective
Situating the Tools, Techniques and Processes in the Existing Literature
Promoting Presidential Leadership and Management through the Policymaking Process
The Importance of Procedural Legitimacy in Building Policy Support
Conclusion
PART I. THE POLICYMAKERS
CHAPTER 2: THE WHITE HOUSE POLICY COUNCILS
The Policy Councils and the Structure of The Executive Branch
How the Policy Councils Operate and Why They Are Important
The White House Policy Councils
Key Agencies Within the Executive Office of the President
Conclusion
CHAPTER 3: THE WHITE HOUSE STAFF
Working on the White House Staff
Other Key Players in the White House
Interaction with the Media
White House Gatekeepers
Conclusion
CHAPTER 4: AGENCIES AND POLICY IMPLEMENTATION
Executive Agencies and Departments and Executive Branch Policymaking
The Role of Agencies
Implementing Policy Decisions
Conclusion
CHAPTER 5: POLICY MANAGEMENT
Policy Management and Procedural Legitimacy
Models of Policy Management
Policy Czars and War Rooms
Conclusion
PART II. TOOLS OF THE TRADE
CHAPTER 6: POLICYMAKING MEMORANDA
Tools of the Trade
The Role of the Memorandum
The Decision-making Memorandum
The Information Memorandum
The Weekly Report
Conclusion
CHAPTER 7: THE STATE OF THE UNION AND THE BUDGET PROCESS
Timing Your Swing: Understanding Internal Workflows in the Executive Branch
State of the Union
The Budget
Conclusion
CHAPTER 8: POLICY IMPLEMENTATION TOOLS
Implementation Tools
Authorizing Tools
Recommending the Right Policy Tool
Conclusion
CHAPTER 9: LEGISLATIVE CLEARANCE AND COORDINATION: SAPS, LRMS, AND OTHER POLICY ACRONYMS
Legislative Clearance and Coordination
Legislative Responsibility in the Executive Branch
The Clearance Process
Clearance of Agency Testimony and Reports on Pending Legislation
Conclusion
CHAPTER 10: POLLING AND THE POLICYMAKING PROCESS
Polling and Policymaking: Myths and Realities
Rebuttals to Common Criticisms
Polling Basics
Who Polls for the White House?
Conclusion
CHAPTER 11: COMMUNICATING AND MARKETING POLICY
The Importance of Communicating and Marketing Policy
Speechwriting
Communications
Press Office
Conclusion
PART III. CASE STUDIES
CHAPTER 12: SOCIAL POLICYMAKING: WELFARE REFORM DURING THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION
Welfare Reform and the Political Process
The Early Phase: Decentralization, Debate, and Deadlock
Phase II: Action, Response, and Resolution
Conclusion: Making the Process Work
CHAPTER 13: ECONOMIC POLICYMAKING I: THE CLINTON ECONOMIC PLAN
The Economic Plan and the Political Process
Phase I: The Economic Plan and the NEC
Establishing the Management Role of the NEC
The NEC Process
Communicating and Marketing the Economic Plan
Securing Passage of the Bill
Conclusion and Lessons Learned
CHAPTER 14: ECONOMIC POLICYMAKING II: THE SIMPSON-BOWLES COMMISSION UNDER PRESIDENT OBAMA
Introduction
Using the Process to Overcome a Stacked Deck
Representative Membership
Outreach
Assigning Accountability and Putting Issues on the Table
The Outcome
Conclusions and Lessons for the Policymaking Process
CHAPTER 15: SECURITY POLICYMAKING I: DESERT SHIELD AND DESERT STORM UNDER GEORGE H. W. BUSH
Security Crises and the Political Process
Responding to the Crisis
The Initial Response
Containment and the Decision to Double U.S. Ground Forces
Conclusion
CHAPTER 16: SECURITY POLICYMAKING II: THE SURGE AND IRAQ WAR UNDER GEORGE W. BUSH
Changing Policy
The Unpredictability of Being an Honest Broker
Sparking Debate and Incubating Ideas
Breaking Some China
Presenting New Ideas
Promoting the President’s Agenda
Conclusion
PART IV. SCENARIOS
CHAPTER 17: PRACTICE SCENARIOS
Practice Scenarios
GLOSSARY
INDEX