Rulemaking: How Government Agencies Write Law and Make Policy (Rulemaking: How Government Agencies Write Law & Make Policy)

Rulemaking is the single most important function performed by agencies of the government. Cornelius Kerwin shows us why this is the case with the third edition of his important and highly regarded text.

Calls for smarter, cheaper, yet more accountable government increasingly affect the definition and implementation of public policy in the United States. Kerwin argues that while Congress and the president provide the general framework for the government's mission, rulemaking fills in the myriad details that define the law and delineate how each agency carries out its specific responsibilities. It is no wonder that so much intense political activity surrounds rulemaking. The third edition--comprehensively revised with new research, incorporation of recent scholarship, and fresh analysis of the George W. Bush administration's impact--is an invaluable guide to navigating the ins and outs of this important process. This unique and accessible book contains the most current and accurate information available on a crucial yet under-studied subject.

What's new?

• Survey research - further examination of public participation, including an update of the interest groups' involvement survey, shedding new light on the tactics used to influence rulemaking
• Data - up-to-the-minute figures on the volume of rulemaking and related actions
• Recent developments - alterations of rulemaking procedures in response to actions by Congress, the president, and the courts, as well as treatment of efforts by the Bush White House to direct and manage aspects of the process
• Expanded treatment - new information on the systems that agencies devote to management of the rules, along with additional insight on "electronic rulemaking"