Modern presidents are CEOs with broad powers over the federal government. The United States Constitution lays out three hypothetically equal branches of government-the executive, the legislative, and the judicial-but over the years, the president, as head of the executive branch, has emerged as the usually dominant political and administrative force at the federal level. In fact, Daniel Gitterman tells us, the president is, effectively, the CEO of an enormous federal bureaucracy. Using the unique legal authority delegated by thousands of laws, the ability to issue executive orders, and the capacity to shape how federal agencies write and enforce rules, the president calls the shots as to how the government is run on a daily basis. Modern presidents have, for example, used the power of the purchaser to require federal contractors to pay a minimum wage and to prohibit contracting with companies and contractors that knowingly employ unauthorized alien workers. Presidents and their staffs use specific tools, including executive orders and memoranda to agency heads, as instruments of control and influence over the government and the private sector. For more than a century, they have used these tools without violating the separation of powers. Calling the Shots demonstrates how each of these executive powers is a powerful weapon of coercion and redistribution in the president's political and policymaking arsenal.

Exploring how cross-sector collaboration can solve seemingly intractable societal problems.Many people tend to think of the public, private, and non-profit sectors as being distinctive components of the economy and broader society each with its own missions and problems to address. This book describes how the three sectors can work together toward common purposes, accomplishing much more than if they work alone. With the nation reeling from multiple challenges, more than ever the United States needs these sectors to collaborate to address what might seem to be intractable problems. Cross-sector collaborations and partnerships are more crucial than in the past as the country tries to recover from the economic, health, and broad social dislocations caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. At a time when trust in institutions, both public and private, is at an all-time low, cooperation among the sectors can be a confidence-inspiring approach to addressing public problems. This book reviews the state of cross-sector collaborations, identifies emerging practices, and offers a range of perspectives from experts in the field. Practitioners show how cooperation among sectors is relevant to their core missions. Scholars from a wide range of disciplines discuss both the broad and specific concepts that advance understanding of cross-sector collaboration. At a time when the United States must to recover from and address news challenges, the book shows how cross-sector collaborations can help ensure a brighter future. Its core conclusions should be of particular interest to leaders in each of the broad sectors, as well as educators and students at both the undergraduate and graduate level.

When most people think of policies designed to help the poor, welfare is the first program that comes to mind. Traditionally welfare has served individuals who do not work --hence much of the stigma that some attach to the program. An equally important strand of American social policy, however, is meant to support low-wage workers and their families. In "Boosting Paychecks," Daniel Gitterman illuminates this often neglected part of the American safety net.

Gitterman focuses on two sets of policy instruments that have been used to aid the working poor since the early twentieth century: the federal tax code and the minimum wage. The income tax code can be fine-tuned in many ways --through exemptions, deductions, credits, changing tax brackets and rates --to alter the amount of income workers are left with at the end of the day. In addition, it interacts with the minimum wage to determine the economic well-being of many lowincome households. "Boosting Paychecks "analyzes the partisan politics that have shaped these policies since the New Deal era, with particular attention paid to the past three decades. It also examines the degree to which they have succeeded in lifting low-wage workers and their families out of poverty.

Forging a new political bargain that balances labor market flexibility with security for poor working families is one of the most critical challenges facing government today. "Boosting Paychecks" sheds new light on the scope of this challenge and the political constraints and opportunities policymakers face.