Building a New American State

Abstract

Through analyses of civil administration reform, Army organization, and the development of regulations regarding the interstate railroad system Skowronek attempts to explain the expanding role of the state. His argument is best summarized by focusing on his analysis of the development of the railroad system. Skowronek makes a pluralistic argument that different factions affected the development of the ICA. This pluralistic argument is intertwined with district pressures, group pressures, and mostly economic pressures that are tied to both group and district pressures. He asserts that the appointment of Henry Carter Adams to be the chief economist on the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was an essential part of the development of the ICA. The ICC was to oversee the development of the regulations eventually enacted in the ICA. Adams broke away from traditional laissez-faire doctrines and proposed some basic rules of business conduct that would be enforced by the government. In doing so, this was one part of a pluralistic development that led to the growth of the state. Once again, note that state building is the central theme of Skowronek's work, rather than the more narrow focus of James. Being that the central theme of Skowronek's work is not the nuances of the development of the ICA, his argument is tilted toward establishing the institutional impact of this development rather than the path of the development. He does address the path but it is not his focus. The growth of bureacracy and response to industrialization is dependent and restricted by the individual political context of the state and electoral politics. The growth of bureacracy and response to industrialization is dependent and restricted by the individual political context of the state and electoral politics. Through analyses of civil administration reform, Army organization, and the development of regulations regarding the interstate railroad system Skowronek attempts to explain the expanding role of the state. His argument is best summarized by focusing on his analysis of the development of the railroad system. Skowronek makes a pluralistic argument that different factions affected the development of the ICA. This pluralistic argument is intertwined with district pressures, group pressures, and mostly economic pressures that are tied to both group and district pressures. He asserts that the appointment of Henry Carter Adams to be the chief economist on the Interstate Commerce Commission (ICC) was an essential part of the development of the ICA. The ICC was to oversee the development of the regulations eventually enacted in the ICA. Adams broke away from traditional laissez-faire doctrines and proposed some basic rules of business conduct that would be enforced by the government. In doing so, this was one part of a pluralistic development that led to the growth of the state. Once again, note that state building is the central theme of Skowronek's work, rather than the more narrow focus of James. Being that the central theme of Skowronek's work is not the nuances of the development of the ICA, his argument is tilted toward establishing the institutional impact of this development rather than the path of the development. He does address the path but it is not his focus.(Skowronek 1982)