The Department of Political Science Colloquium Series presents

"The Politics of Information"
with Frank Baumgartner, Richard J. Richardson Distinguished Professor of Political, University of North Carolina

January 30, 2014
12:00-1:30 p.m.
Social Science Plaza A, Room 2112

This project focuses on the inherent tension between the overwhelming complexity of the issues confronting government and the need for order, clarity, and clear lines of hierarchical control. Search, information, and monitoring systems that are well adopted for dealing with complexity involve redundancy, overlap, and networks of actors whose actions may be only partially coupled to others within the system; this is well reflected in the shared but conflicting institutions designed into the US government through the separation of powers and federalism. However, institutional designs for clear and efficient delivery of known
and well-understood policy problems should be more efficient. The research demonstrates this dynamic and provides a new understanding of the growth and development of the US government with a focus on the post-1947 period. It takes some of the ideas of complexity and bounded rationality first developed in The Politics of Attention and explores their implications in new ways.

For further information, please contact Graeme Boushey, gboushey@uci.edu.