Mandate for Leadership

Mandate for Leadership is a series of books published by The Heritage Foundation, an American conservative think-tank based in Washington, D.C. They are intended to serve as guidelines for reducing the size and scope of the federal government through specific policy recommendations.The books have traditionally been released to coincide with an incoming U.S. presidential administration, starting with the Reagan administration in 1981. The latest edition was published in 2005.

In 1979, at a Heritage Foundation trustees' meeting, it was suggested by Jack Eckerd, former head of the General Services Administration under Gerald Ford, that the Foundation draw up a conservative plan of action for the next presidential administration in January 1981. Robert Krieble proposed that Heritage produce a manual to help policymakers “cut the size of government and manage it more effectively.”

The overall direction of the Heritage study was undertaken by Charles Heatherly, a former field director of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. In late January 1980, Heatherly produced a five-page outline titled “Mandate for Leadership.” Heatherly explained that the purpose of the project was to present concrete proposals to “revitalize our economy, strengthen our national security and halt the centralization of power in the federal government.”

Both the Reagan-Bush and Carter-Mondale campaigns were approached by Heritage to discuss the project. However, they only received a reply from the Reagan–Bush campaign, and in July 1980, Reagan aide Edwin Meese was a surprise guest at a dinner held by Heritage for the project’s team chairmen and co-chairmen. There, Meese gave the Heritage study “his blessing,” which was seen as a sign of the Reagan administration's receptiveness of the project.

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