Delegated Power: The Role of Discretionary Experimenters and the Implementation Process

Presented at the American Political Science Association Conference

Understanding the underlying assumptions behind the implementation process requires social scientists to identify the group of implementers who inevitably make decisions. These implementers are entrusted with the power to bring a program to fruition after it is approved by a legislature or executive. In this study I focus on what scholars have labeled "discretionary experimenters." These actors can be found at the cabinet, agency, and local levels of government.

Although these discretionary experimenters come from a variety of backgrounds and education levels, they are entrusted with broad decision making authority. When a discretionary experimenter is developing a program, what variables does he assume will lead to successful policy implementation? What expectations for successful implementation does he take with him into the process?

This study addresses the aforementioned questions by identifying a group of discretionary experimenters who implement policy at the state level. I conduct a simultaneous interview and survey meant to test common variables associated with prevailing theories. This research builds on data collected in a pilot study focusing on discretionary experimenters in the Commonwealth of Virginia. I concentrate on the state level as a technique for comparing trends in implementation by region.

This study identifies variables that are commonly put into practice in the modern implementation process. This research also makes an applied contribution by considering other variables that may not have been applicable in earlier research. For example, the roles of the private sector and social networks in successful policy implementation. The most important contribution is to provide a starting point from which future research can build.