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Delegitimization, Deconstruction and Control: Undermining the Administrative State

Moynihan, Donald·2022·The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
DOI 10.1177/00027162211069723
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Abstract

Three phenomena that undermine the U.S. administrative state were taken to extremes under President Trump, contributing to democratic backsliding. The first is delegitimization: a suspicion of the public sector that has curdled into claims that public officials are deep state enemies of the people. This undermines belief in the capacity of government to deliver on democratic promises. Second is deconstruction, which includes undermining administrative capacity and delivery of services, making it harder for institutions to deliver on democratic promises, or to do so in ways that are transparent or generative of conditions in which the public sees government helping. The third is political control, in which loyalty to the political leaders is a primary virtue: this weakens structural protections of public employees and the capacities of government agencies to pursue their statutory mission or respond to other sources of democratic control such as Congress.

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Crossref · 10.1177/00027162211069723

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  • Novel legal theories, such as unitary executive theory, which holds that the president has extraordinary and previously unrecognized powers, fuel claims of presidential control of the bureaucracy and spending.

    “Novel legal theories, such as unitary executive theory, which holds that the president has extraordinary and previously unrecognized powers, fuel claims of presidential control of the bureaucracy and spending”

    From Trump, Personalism, and US Administrative Capacity (2025) · cites this paper as Moynihan 2022

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Metadata

Authors
Moynihan, D.
Corresponding author
Moynihan, Donald
ORCID
Moynihan, Donald
Venue
The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2022-01
Volume
699
Issue
1
Pages
36-49
ISSN
  • 0002-7162 (ISSN-L)
  • 1552-3349
DOI
10.1177/00027162211069723
OpenAlex
W4226161569
Cited by
78
References
0
Citations by year
2026: 18 · 2025: 30 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 4 · 2022: 3
FWCI
48.98
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
closed
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • The Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science (publishedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Public Administration and Governance
  • Social Sciences › Public Administration › Public Policy and Administration Research
  • Social Sciences › Political Science and International Relations › Political Theory and Democracy
Keywords
administrative state, deep state, democratic backsliding, Trump administration, administrative capacity, public service delivery, political loyalty, congressional oversight

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