Power without Persuasion by William Howell
Since the early 1960s, scholarly thinking on the power of U.S. presidents has rested on these words: "Presidential power is the power to persuade." Power, in this formulation, is strictly about bargaining and convincing other political actors to do things the president cannot accomplish alone. Power without Persuasion argues otherwise. Focusing on presidents' ability to act unilaterally, William Howell provides the most theoretically substantial and far-reaching reevaluation of presidential power in many years. He argues that presidents regularly set public policies over vocal objections by Congress, interest groups, and the bureaucracy. Throughout U.S. history, going back to the Louisiana Purchase and the Emancipation Proclamation, presidents have set landmark policies on their own. More recently, Roosevelt interned Japanese Americans during World War II, Kennedy established the Peace Corps, Johnson got affirmative action underway, Reagan greatly expanded the president's powers of regulatory review, and Clinton extended protections to millions of acres of public lands. Since September 11, Bush has created a new cabinet post and constructed a parallel judicial system to try suspected terrorists. Howell not only presents numerous new empirical findings but goes well beyond the theoretical scope of previous studies. Drawing richly on game theory and the new institutionalism, he examines the political conditions under which presidents can change policy without congressional or judicial consent. Clearly written, Power without Persuasion asserts a compelling new formulation of presidential power, one whose implications will resound.
Winner of the 2015 Legacy Award, Presidents and Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2004 "This must read shows the civics text version of the US system turned upside down"--Choice
William G. Howell is Assistant Professor of Government at Harvard University. In 2001 he received both the E.E. Schattschneider Award for the best dissertation in American politics, from the American Political Science Association, and the Center for Presidential Studies prize for the best dissertation on the presidency.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9780691102702 |
| ISBN 10 | 0691102708 |
| Title | Power without Persuasion |
| Author | William Howell |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Princeton University Press |
| Year published | 2003-07-28 |
| Number of pages | 264 |
| Prizes | Short-listed for Choice Magazine Outstanding Reference/Academic Book Award 2004 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |