POLITICS, BUREAUCRACY, AND AGRICULTURAL POLICY - AN ALTERNATIVE VIEW OF POLITICAL CONTROL

This study is a quantitative time-series analysis of politics and agri cultural policy in the United States from 1950 to 1990. Agricultural p olicy is an area that generally does not fit the assumptions of the pr incipal-agent model but rather relies on cooperative relationships bet ween politicians and bureaucrats. Congress is the most active politica l institution, and bureaucracy has substantial expertise. The result i s a mix of political controls and bureaucratic discretion that shapes major agricultural programs. The impact of these agricultural programs , especially those relevant to agricultural research, is assessed on s everal indicators of the farm sector's economic health.