Reputation, Unilateral Action, and Bureaucratic Leadership

• In Event: Lobbying and Governmental Policy

Abstract

I examine the extent to which an executive’s professional reputation impacts his or her willingness to act unilaterally. While the executive determines the policy agenda, the success of policy reform depends on the effort exerted by bureaucratic agents that observe the executive’s reputation. The analysis demonstrates that the professional reputation of the executive impacts government performance both directly through the executive’s policy choice and indirectly through his or her ability to motivate subordinate agents. The analysis highlights the consequences of an executive’s reputation for bureaucratic leadership and, as a consequence, government performance. In particular, a “good” reputation does not always improve bureaucratic leadership: an executive with a poor reputation may actually induce greater bureaucratic effort.

Author

• Lindsey Gailmard, California Institute of Technology