Romney Readiness Project 2012
Romney Readiness Project 2012

Author:

Publisher: R2p Incorporated

Published: 2013-01-01

Total Pages: 138

ISBN-13: 9780615799865

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The importance of effective and well-planned presidential transitions has long been understood. The Presidential Transition Act of 1963 provided a formal recognition of this principle by providing the President-elect funding and other resources "To promote the orderly transfer of the executive power in connection with the expiration of the term of office of a President and the Inauguration of a new President." The Act received minor amendments in the following decades, but until 2010 all support providedwas entirely post-election. The Pre-Election Presidential Act of 2010 changed this by providing pre-election support to nominees of both parties. Its passing reinforced the belief that early transition planning is prudent, not presumptuous. The Romney Readiness Project was the first transition effort to operate with this enhanced pre-election focus. While Obama's re-election prevented a Romney transition from occurring, it is hoped that the content of this book can provide a valuable insight to future transition teams of both parties.

The True Size of Government
The True Size of Government

Author: Paul C. Light

Publisher: Brookings Institution Press

Published: 2010-12-10

Total Pages: 264

ISBN-13: 9780815720157

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This book addresses a seemingly simple question: Just how many people really work for the federal government? Official counts show a relatively small total of 1.9 million full-time civil servants, as of 1996. But, according to Paul Light, the true head count is nearly nine times higher than the official numbers, with about 17 million people actually providing the government with goods and services. Most are part of what Light calls the "shadow of government"—nonfederal employees working under federal contracts, grants, and mandates to state and local governments. In this book--the first that attempts to establish firm estimates of the shadow work force-- he explores the reasons why the official size of the federal government has remained so small while the shadow of government has grown so large. Light examines the political incentives that make the illusion of a small government so attractive, analyzes the tools used by officials to keep the official headcount small, and reveals how the appearance of smallness affects the management of government and the future of the public service. Finally, he points out ways the federal government can better manage the shadow work force it has built over the past half-century.

The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education
The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education

Author: National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine

Publisher: National Academies Press

Published: 2018-06-21

Total Pages: 283

ISBN-13: 0309470641

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In the United States, broad study in an array of different disciplines â€"arts, humanities, science, mathematics, engineeringâ€" as well as an in-depth study within a special area of interest, have been defining characteristics of a higher education. But over time, in-depth study in a major discipline has come to dominate the curricula at many institutions. This evolution of the curriculum has been driven, in part, by increasing specialization in the academic disciplines. There is little doubt that disciplinary specialization has helped produce many of the achievement of the past century. Researchers in all academic disciplines have been able to delve more deeply into their areas of expertise, grappling with ever more specialized and fundamental problems. Yet today, many leaders, scholars, parents, and students are asking whether higher education has moved too far from its integrative tradition towards an approach heavily rooted in disciplinary "silos". These "silos" represent what many see as an artificial separation of academic disciplines. This study reflects a growing concern that the approach to higher education that favors disciplinary specialization is poorly calibrated to the challenges and opportunities of our time. The Integration of the Humanities and Arts with Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in Higher Education examines the evidence behind the assertion that educational programs that mutually integrate learning experiences in the humanities and arts with science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medicine (STEMM) lead to improved educational and career outcomes for undergraduate and graduate students. It explores evidence regarding the value of integrating more STEMM curricula and labs into the academic programs of students majoring in the humanities and arts and evidence regarding the value of integrating curricula and experiences in the arts and humanities into college and university STEMM education programs.

Presidential Appointments to Full-time Positions
Presidential Appointments to Full-time Positions

Author: Henry B. Hogue

Publisher: Nova Biomedical Books

Published: 2002

Total Pages: 104

ISBN-13:

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The Constitution empowers the president to nominate and, with 'the advice and consent of the Senate', to appoint the principal officers of the Unites States. This process is marked by three distinct stages: nomination, confirmation, and appointment. After the President submits an individual's name for nomination to a specific position, the nominee must then appear before the Senate, which holds hearings to decide whether to confirm the president's choice. If the Senate votes to approve the nominee, the president then appoints that person to assume the job. In recent years, though, this process has become increasingly partisan as Senate hearings have pitted Republican against Democrat in ideological battles over a nominee's fitness for government service. One of the most notable examples of President George W Bush's tenure was the confirmation debate over Attorney General John Ashcroft. However, the president has to make appointments to fill other, less high-profile positions in agencies such as the Postal Rate Commission and the Surface Transportation Board. The process tends to be deliberate, making for several vacancies in certain agencies, along with incumbents serving beyond their terms. This book provides an overview of the presidential appointment process, as well as descriptions of each federal agency the president is tasked to staff. Also included are lists of some of President Bush's nominees and their current status. The importance of presidential appointments is clear, as the nominees have the opportunity to influence the nation's agenda and direction. The analysis presented here then becomes needed in understanding an important constitutional process and its impact on the nation today.

Lobbying for Higher Education
Lobbying for Higher Education

Author: Constance Ewing Cook

Publisher: Vanderbilt University Press

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 282

ISBN-13: 9780826513175

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Historically, many faculty and administrators in higher education have regarded themselves as above the fray--part of the national interest, not a special interest--and considered lobbying a dirty business unworthy of their lofty enterprise. Now that academia no longer enjoys all the respect and good will that federal policy makers once afforded it, that attitude has changed. The Republican sweep of the 1994 Congressional elections served as a wake-up call for the higher education community. In response, it made a spirited effort to gain attention for its own policy preferences. Lobbying for Higher Education is about how the major higher education associations and the constituent American colleges and universities try to influence federal policy, especially congressional policy. In clear prose Cook explains how the higher education community organizes itself in Washington, how it lobbies, and how its major interest groups are perceived both by their own members and by public officials. The book focuses on the crucial development in 1995-1996 of a new lobbying paradigm, which included the greater use of campus-based resources and ad hoc coalitions. The most engrossing part of its story is higher education's creative response to the policy turmoil and disruption of the status quo that resulted from the shift in congressional party control. The author, Constance Cook, uses sources unique to this project: over 1,500 survey responses from college and university presidents (a 62% return rate) and nearly 150 interviews with institutional and association leaders. Fortuitously, the 1994 electoral upheaval provided her with an opportunity to capture, analyze, and interpret the responses of her subjects in a period of unusually sweeping change. Lobbying for Higher Education is a timely book with an interesting and important story at its core.

The Evolving Congress
The Evolving Congress

Author: Congressional Research Congressional Research Service Library of Congress

Publisher: CreateSpace

Published: 2015-05-17

Total Pages: 490

ISBN-13: 9781512234244

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For 100 years, the Congressional Research Service (CRS) has been charged with providing nonpartisan and authoritative research and analysis to inform the legislative debate in Congress. This has involved a wide range of services, such as written reports on issues and the legislative process, consultations with Members and their staff, seminars on policy and procedural matters, and congressional testimony. The Government and Finance Division at CRS took a step back from its intensive day-to-day service to Congress to analyze important trends in the evolution of the institution-its organization and policymaking process-over the last many decades. Changes in the political landscape, technology, and representational norms have required Congress to evolve as the Nation's most democratic national institution of governance. The essays in this print demonstrate that Congress has been a flexible institution that has changed markedly in recent years in response to the social and political environment.