Presidential Transitions: From Politics to Practice (review)

Presidential Transitions: From Politics to Practice . By John P. Burke. Boulder, Colo.: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2000; pp. 437. $65.00.

"Transitions matter," argues political scientist John Burke in his new study of presidential transitions and their impact on the presidencies that follow. In a research project inspired by the problems encountered by Bill Clinton in the two months before his 1993 inauguration, Burke examines in detail the transitions of Presidents Carter, Reagan, Bush Sr., and Clinton. Using both primary and secondary sources as well as personal interviews with many of the individuals involved, this carefully researched book provides important new insights into the period between election and inauguration and the subsequent consequences of the transition.

Burke explains his central thesis as follows: "it is decisions that matter and transitions, in turn, are critically important because they are a time when the processes leading to policy decisions first begin to take shape and are organized" (5). Although several excellent studies of presidential transitions already exist, Burke goes a step further by asserting that transitions have powerful influence on both the organization of the presidency and the policy results of the presidency that follows. Hence, each of the four presidencies is covered in two chapters: one examining the transition period itself, and one focusing on the early months of the presidency and the longer-term success or failure of the administration's policy agenda. In the final chapter, the author attempts to link the study to broader theoretical issues and to draw some lessons for future presidents.

A framework for systematically comparing transitions begins by detailing any transition planning that took place before the election. Next, he examines the postelection effort, including filling the cabinet, crafting a policy agenda, and shaping the White House staff. Burke organizes his chapters on the consequences of transitions into four parts: decision-making processes, the president as manager and decision-maker, policy outcomes, and foreign policy decisions and outcomes. Theoretical questions considered in chapter 9 include the rational-actor model, the new institutionalism, presidential power, and bureaucratic control.

The book is thoroughly researched and provides fascinating insights into the period between the presidential election and the start of the new administration. Burke describes how the conflicts that developed between advisors during the Carter transition in 1976-77 spilled over into his administration. His desire not to have a chief of staff was reflected in the lack of coordination among the eight or more aides reporting directly to him during the transition. Mirroring what would later be problems with congressional relations during his first 100 days in office, aides looked at a number of questionable federal water projects during the transition but did not consider the political implications of proposing to cut those projects. Although Carter had by far the most ambitious and comprehensive transition ever attempted to that date, Burke judges it a "lost opportunity" (44).

Ronald Reagan, following Carter's precedent, also mounted a significant transition effort, beginning even before the election. Yet compared to Carter, the effort was better organized and marked by more harmonious relations between the transition and campaign staffs. Edwin Meese developed a transition plan that Reagan put into effect right after the election. The administration's policy agenda largely took shape during the transition. Although he considers the role of David Stockman in developing specifics of the Reagan economic and budget plan, the author does not quite give sufficient import to Stockman's role in defining the content of that plan. Unique among the transition players, Stockman's experience in congressional budget wars during the 1970s and familiarity with arcane budget policies and processes allowed him to fill a void. In particular, his "economic Dunkirk" memo became critical in shaping the administration's policy and strategy for what would be Reagan's most dramatic success during his first year in office. In general, Reagan receives high marks from the author for a smooth transition that carried over into a well-organized and...