Presidential Power
Class, Status and Power
Political Power
William G. Howell,
William G. Howell
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Search for more papers by this authorWilliam G. Howell,
William G. Howell
University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Search for more papers by this authorFirst published: 15 May 2015
Abstract
For the better part of 40 years, the study of presidential power was understood within a strictly bargaining framework—one that emphasized presidential dependence on other political actors to do things that the president cannot accomplish on his own, and that recognized personal reputation and prestige as the keystones of presidential success. But in the past 15–20 years, the presidency field as a whole has undergone significant change. Scholars have begun to investigate a broader array of actions that presidents can take, many independently, to affect public policy; and the foundations for these actions do not depend, at least exclusively, on the particular endowments of the individual presidents who stand in office. In this short essay, I recognize a sampling of the most significant advancement in three areas of the study of presidential power: unilateral powers, the political control of the bureaucracy, and public appeals. I then underscore the importance of continued investments in theory building for the study of presidential power.
References
- Barber, J. (1972). The presidential character: Predicting performance in the White House. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall.
- Barrett, A. (2004). Gone public: The impact of going public on presidential legislative success. American Politics Research, 32, 332–70.
- Baum, M., & Kernell, S. (1999). Has cable ended the golden age of presidential television? American Political Science Review, 93, 99–114.
- Bond, J., & Fleisher, R. (1990). The president in the legislative arena. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
- Bond, J., & Fleisher, R. (2000). Polarized politics: Congress and the president in a partisan era. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press.
-
Cameron, C. M. (2000). Veto bargaining: Presidents and the politics of negative power. Cambridge, England: Cambridge University Press.
10.1017/CBO9780511613302 Google Scholar
-
Canes-Wrone, B. (2005). Who leads whom?: Presidents, policy, and the public. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
10.7208/chicago/9780226092492.001.0001 Google Scholar
- Cohen, J. (1998). Presidential responsiveness and public policy-making: The public and the policies that presidents choose. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
-
Cohen, J. (2008). The presidency in the era of 24-hour news. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
10.1515/9781400837793 Google Scholar
- Cooper, P. J. (2002). By order of the president: The use and abuse of executive direct action. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.
- Edwards, G. (2003). On deaf ears: The limits of the bully pulpit. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.
-
Fine, J. A., & Warber, A. L. (2012). Circumventing adversity: Executive orders and divided government. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 42, 256–274.
10.1111/j.1741-5705.2012.03965.x Google Scholar
- Fleishman, J., & Aufses, A. (1976). Law and orders: The problem of presidential legislation. Law and Contemporary Problems, 40, 1–46.
- Gailmard, S., & Patty, J. (2012). Learning while governing: Expertise and accountability in the executive branch. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press.
- George, A. (1974). Presidential personality and performance. Boulder, CO: Westview Press.
- Goldsmith, W. (1974). The growth of presidential power. New York, NY: Chelsea House Publishers.
-
Gordon, V. (2007). “The law”: Unilaterally shaping U.S. national security policy: The role of national security directives. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 37, 349–367.
10.1111/j.1741-5705.2007.02601.x Google Scholar
- Greenstein, F. (2000). The presidential difference: Leadership style from FDR to Clinton. New York, NY: Martin Kessler Books.
- Groeling, T., & Kernell, S. (1998). Is network news coverage of the president biased? Journal of Politics, 60, 1063–87.
- Hargrove, E. C. (1966). Presidential leadership, personality and political style. New York, NY: Macmillan.
-
Howell, W. G. (2003). Power without persuasion: The politics of direct presidential action. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
10.1515/9781400874392 Google Scholar
-
Howell, W. G. (2005). Unilateral powers: A brief overview. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 35, 417–39.
10.1111/j.1741-5705.2005.00258.x Google Scholar
- Howell, W. G., & Lewis, D. (2002). Agencies by presidential design. Journal of Politics, 64, 1095–1114.
- Howell, W. G., & Pevehouse, J. (2005). Presidents, Congress, and the use of force. International Organization, 59, 209–32.
-
Howell, W. G., & Pevehouse, J. (2007). While dangers gather: Congressional checks on presidential war powers. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
10.1515/9781400840830 Google Scholar
- Kernell, S. (1997). Going public: New strategies of presidential leadership. Washington, DC: Congressional Quarterly Press.
- Krause, G., & Cohen, D. (2000). Opportunity, constraints, and the development of the institutional presidency: The case of executive order issuance, 1939–1996. Journal of Politics, 62, 88–114.
- Kriner, D. (2009). Presidents, domestic politics and the international arena. In G. C. Edwards & W. G. Howell (Eds.), Oxford handbook on the American presidency. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
-
Krutz, G. S., & Peake, J. S. (2006). The changing nature of presidential policy making on international agreements. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 36, 391–409.
10.1111/j.1741-5705.2006.02554.x Google Scholar
- Krutz, G. S., & Peake, J. S. (2011). Treaty politics and the rise of executive agreements: International commitments in a system of shared powers. Ann Arbor, MI: University of Michigan Press.
- Lewis, D. (2003). Presidents and the politics of agency design. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
-
Lewis, D. (2005). Staffing alone: Unilateral action and the politicization of the executive office of the president, 1988–2004. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 35, 496–514.
10.1111/j.1741-5705.2005.00261.x Google Scholar
-
Lewis, D. (2008). The politics of presidential appointments: Political control and bureaucratic performance. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
10.1515/9781400837687 Google Scholar
-
Light, P. C. (1999). The president's agenda: Domestic policy choice from Kennedy to Clinton ( 3rd ed.). Baltimore, MD: Johns Hopkins University Press.
10.56021/9780801860652 Google Scholar
- Marshall, B., & Pacelle, R. (2005). Revisiting the two presidencies: The strategic use of executive orders. American Politics Quarterly, 33, 81–105.
-
Mayer, K. (2001). With the stroke of a pen: Executive orders and presidential power. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
10.1515/9781400824243 Google Scholar
-
McCarty, N. (1997). Presidential reputation and the veto. Economics and Politics, 9, 1–26.
10.1111/1468-0343.00017 Google Scholar
- Moe, T. (1985). The politicized presidency. In J. Chubb & P. Peterson (Eds.), The new direction in American politics. Brookings Institution: Washington, DC.
- Moe, T. (1987). An assessment of the positive theory of “congressional dominance”. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 12, 475–520.
- Moe, T. (1990). The politics of structural choices: Toward a theory of public bureaucracy. In O. Williamson (Ed.), Organization theory: From Chester Barnard to the present and beyond. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
-
Moe, T. (2009). The revolution in presidential studies. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 39, 701–724.
10.1111/j.1741-5705.2009.03701.x Google Scholar
-
Moe, T., & Wilson, S. (1994). Presidents and the politics of structure. Law and Contemporary Problems, 57, 1–44.
10.2307/1192044 Google Scholar
- Morgenstern, S., Polga-Hecimovich, J., & Shair-Rosenfield, S. (2013). Tall, Grande, or Venti but not short: Comparing Presidential powers in the United States and Latin America. Journal of Politics in Latin America, 5(2), 37–70.
- Negretto, G. L. (2004). Government capacities and policy making by decree in Latin America. Comparative Political Studies, 37, 531–62.
- Neustadt, R. E. (1991[1960]). Presidential power and the modern presidents. New York, NY: Free Press.
- Pereira, C., Power, T., & Rennó, L. (2005). Under what conditions do presidents resort to decree power? Theory and evidence from the Brazilian case. Journal of Politics, 67, 178–200.
- Peterson, M. (1990). Presidential power and the modern presidents. New York, Ny: Free Press.
- Pious, R. M. (1991). Prerogative power and the Reagan presidency. Political Science Quarterly, 106, 499–510.
-
Pious, R. M. (2007). Inherent war and executive powers and prerogative politics. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 37, 66–84.
10.1111/j.1741-5705.2007.02585.x Google Scholar
-
Rudalevige, A. (2002). Managing the president's program: Presidential leadership and legislative policy formation. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
10.1515/9780691190266 Google Scholar
-
Rudalevige, A. (2012). The contemporary presidency: Executive orders and presidential unilateralism. Presidential Studies Quarterly, 42, 138–160.
10.1111/j.1741-5705.2012.03945.x Google Scholar
- Shull, S. (2006). Policy by other means: Alternative adoption by presidents. College Station, TX: Texas A&M University Press.
- Spitzer, R. (1993). President and congress: Executive hegemony at the crossroads of American government. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
-
Warber, A. (2006). Executive orders and the modern presidency: Legislating from the oval office. New York, NY: Lynne Rienner.
10.1515/9781626373433 Google Scholar
- Wayne, S. (1978). The legislative presidency. New York, NY: Harper & Row.
- Wood, B. D. (2007). The politics of economic leadership: The causes and consequences of presidential rhetoric. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
Further Reading
- Corwin, E. (1941). The President: Office and powers. New York, NY: New York University Press.
-
Howell, W. (2013). Thinking about the presidency: The primacy of power. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.
10.2307/j.ctt24hr63 Google Scholar
- McDonald, F. (1994). The American presidency: An intellectual history. Lawrence, KS: University Press of Kansas.
- Neustadt, R. (1960). Presidential power: The politics of leadership. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
- Skowronek, S. (1993). The politics Presidents make: Leadership from John Adams to George Bush. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Browse other articles of this reference work:
