Enforcement Networks

Abstract

Policy and academic debates often depict agencies as siloed, in solitary pursuit of their own statutory mandates. But such views overlook an important reality. Agencies do not work alone, but in fact exercise power via networks, in tandem with other federal and state agencies as well as foreign powers. While agencies have relied on networks for decades, the study of coordinated agency action has been slow to catch up. This inattention is particularly acute for enforcement, which can be a black box, with much of enforcement activity taking place outside of the public view.