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of organizational design is to fit the form to the desired outcome. It is intuitive that a
case study approach is appropriate method to examine organizational characteristics
underlying specific departmental, agency, and program authorities, roles, and functions
that underlie reorganizational legislative design; development; and implementation. The
current paper reexamines assumptions underlying traditional views of intergovernmental
relations about how to "leverage the involvement of non-federal actors -- principally state
and local governments -- to serve as federal policy intermediaries and implementers."
xii
In
so doing, this paper provides a draft framework and invites critical review for the broader
study of which is a part -- a case study of DHS that employs institutional theory to further
analyze my research of the role of states legislation in the development of national
counter bioterrorism legislation.
The Bush Administration made an important first step in establishing an Office of
Homeland Security by Executive Order. In so doing, the Administration provided a
window for the debate in the Congress to explore a broad range of legislative options,
including those that originated prior to events of September 2001. For example, the
United States Commission on National Security/21
st
Century had recommended already
in February 2001 that there should be a consolidation of border patrol agencies to secure
the homeland.
xiii
Importantly, there was growing consensus for advancing the need to
improve the public health infrastructure, in part to improve the capacity of state and local
governments to respond to bioterrorism. The consensus was the result of untiring
testimony dating from the mid 1990s, by a broad range of experts representing local,
state, and federal government branches. These experts were able to provide a respond
rapidly and provide eager Congressional committees with an explicit set of options within
Convention