ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the ordering of claims and how the ordering changed with the policy preferences of political executives. The brief lifespans of many policy priorities thus highlight how important it is that political executives explicitly stress formal institutionalization for their greatest policies, if they wish those policies to endure. The institutionalization of policy likely has its own “politics of legitimization,” which becomes more complex and perhaps controversial as the formality and strength of the institutionalization increases. Bureaucratic responsiveness includes not only policy choice but also the extent to which chosen policies become durable activities among the careerists of the bureau. Political executives discuss policy in numerous appearances with groups that are part of the relevant policy communities and with groups that are part of presidential electoral constituencies. Careerists devoted their efforts first to their share of established legal obligations and then to other demands, such as formulating and implementing new policy.
