Abstract:
This pair of cases, set in 1987 and 1988, examines the challenge faced by the top federal science officials to coordinate the efforts of a wide array of federal agencies to study the emerging problem of global environmental change ("global warming"). The first case frames both the specific management issues faced particularly by William R. Graham, director of the Office of Science and Technology, and tells the story of an inter-agency committee he established in hopes of bringing together an imposing array of disparate agencies, among them the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the National Science Foundation. The first case frames a decision as to how Graham should proceed after the initial failure of his committee; the second case tells the story of the workings of the committee as eventually constituted. Together, these cases allow for discussion of the peculiar management challenges faced by "czars," those with policy but not administrative responsibilities, as well as allowing for discussion of the reasons different arms of government might or might not agree to cooperate.
