The Importance of Thinking Constitutionally

Abstract

that, for the most part, public administration stands apart from constitutional theory Historically, along with its luminaries and myriad reformers, the field of public administration as a whole has largely inter preted the U S Constitution's separation of powers in ways that expand presidential authority over federal agencies and restrict Congress's constitutional role in regulating and overseeing the executive branch Executive-centered, or executivist perspectives, as Pfiffner calls them, have been justified in the name of demociacy, efficiency, national security, and account ability However, Pfiffner cogently argues that good intentions are irrelevant In the U S constitutional context, the separation of powers is fundamental to liberty and the rule of law When a president asserts extraordinarily broad constitutional powers, as did President George W Bush, both are at risk