I develop a model of policy making by a team. In the model, policy outcomes are
the product of the joint efforts of a legislature and an executive where each branch is
modeled as a unitary actor. Substantively, this captures the idea that policy outcomes
under the separation of powers are a function of legislative design, deliberation, and
oversight working in conjunction with executive branch implementation.
The actions of the agents generate outcomes that vary across two dimensions: a
distributive dimension and a quality dimension. The distributive dimension re ects
how the divergent policy goals of the agents are reconciled. The quality dimension
re ects a set of features that enhance the efficacy, efficiency, or equity of policy
outcomes. Quality outcomes are jointly determined by the efforts and capacities of
of both actors.