Expert Opinion, Agency Characteristics, and Agency Preferences

Posted: 18 Aug 2009

See all articles by Joshua D. Clinton

Joshua D. Clinton

Princeton University - Department of Political Science

David E. Lewis

affiliation not provided to SSRN

Abstract

The study of bureaucracies and their relationship to political actors is central to understanding the policy process in the United States. Studying this aspect of American politics is difficult because theories of agency behavior, effectiveness, and control often require measures of administrative agencies' policy preferences, and appropriate measures are hard to find for a broad spectrum of agencies. We propose a method for measuring agency preferences based upon an expert survey of agency preferences for 82 executive agencies in existence between 1988 and 2005. We use a multirater item response model to provide a principled structure for combining subjective ratings based on scholarly and journalistic expertise with objective data on agency characteristics. We compare the resulting agency preference estimates and standard errors to existing alternative measures, discussing both the advantages and limitations of the method.

Suggested Citation

Clinton, Joshua D. and Lewis, David E., Expert Opinion, Agency Characteristics, and Agency Preferences. Political Analysis, Vol. 16, Issue 1, pp. 3-20, 2008, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1448403 or http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/pan/mpm009

Joshua D. Clinton (Contact Author)

Princeton University - Department of Political Science

Corwin Hall
Princeton, NJ 08544-1012
United States

David E. Lewis

affiliation not provided to SSRN

No Address Available

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