The president and representative bureaucracy: Rhetoric and reality

Policy makers have long recognized the importance of achieving a representa tive federal bureaucracy, but the four most recent presidents have expresse d divergent views about policies designed to achieve this goal. Meanwhile, there have been widespread perceptions among federal employees that the adm inistrations' ideologies have had ct direct impact on the opportunities of minorities, women, and white men for advancement Using government-wide data from 1979 to 1996, this article examines whether such employment opportuni ties have varied in the manner suggested by these perceptions. We find litt le evidence of a correlation between the president's views on affirmative a ction and minority and female representation in the overall federal workfor ce. Moreover, the curtailment of promotion opportunities during the Reagan and Clinton administrations has affected all groups nearly equally: Potenti al presidential influence has been more notable in the representation of wo men and minorities in politically appointed and career senior executive job s. We conclude that equal employment opportunity and affirmative action pol icies have remained basically intact during the 18-year period, but that re cent court decisions, along with efforts to reduce the size of government, may slow progress toward achieving a representative bureaucracy.