Presidential Leadership, Interest Groups, and Domestic Policymaking Summitry: Balancing the Values of Efficiency and Representation

Abstract

Policymaking models suggest a trade-off between the values of efficiency and representation. To the extent that the president represents a national constituency, and in light of the expansion of the office, presidential leadership potentially supplies a remedy to this dilemma. Nevertheless, each policymaking model suggests specific obstacles facing presidents who seek to take a leadership role in directly influencing policy. This article, which focuses on the case of policymaking for children’s television, suggests that the Clinton administration’s use of “domestic policy summits” can allow a president to influence policy while balancing the values of efficiency and representation.