System development in the federal government: How technology influences outcomes

Institutional analyses of federal programs to develop large technical syste ms explain outcomes in terms of a conflict between coalitional politics and program administration. Such analyses gain precision when they take into a ccount how the technical system being developed mediates the conflict of po litics and administration. Attention to technology helps explain the differ ent outcomes of three federal programs: the superconducting supercollider, the space shuttle, and intelligent transportation systems.