The Growth and Decline of Executive-Centered Intergovernmental Management

The idea that the president should manage intergovernmental relationships gained credence and became more feasible as the Executive Office of the President developed managerial capacities. Executive-centered intergovernmental management gained considerable support in the Kestnbaum Commission's deliberations, developed rapidly in response to Great Society coordination problems, and culminated during the Nixon administration. This perspective relies on the use of hierarchical management techniques to produce an orderly, rational federal system. Its decline began during the Carter administration and accelerated during the Reagan years. It is doubtful that this perspective will again be influential, given the erosion of professional support for and waning presidential interest in comprehensive, federal intergovernmental management.