Bureaucracy in America

The Administrative State's Challenge to Constitutional Government

Joseph Postell author

Format:Hardback

Publisher:University of Missouri Press

Published:30th May '17

Currently unavailable, and unfortunately no date known when it will be back

Bureaucracy in America cover

The rise of the administrative state is the most significant political development in American politics over the past century.  While our Constitution separates powers into three branches, and requires that the laws are made by elected representatives in the Congress, today most policies are made by unelected officials in agencies where legislative, executive, and judicial powers are combined.  This threatens constitutionalism and the rule of law.  This book examines the history of administrative power in America and argues that modern administrative law has failed to protect the principles of American constitutionalism as effectively as earlier approaches to regulation and administration.

Federal bureaucracy often seems to roam far beyond what Congress has clearly authorized and often does so without meaningful check from courts. Postell’s book demonstrates that Americans have worried about over-reaching officials since colonial times. Bureaucracy in America shows what we can learn from past efforts to secure the people’s rights, even from government officials."" - Jeremy A. Rabkin, George Mason University, author of Law without Nations?

ISBN: 9780826221230

Dimensions: 231mm x 160mm x 35mm

Weight: 767g

416 pages