Presidency and Domestic Policy: Comparing Leadership Styles, FDR to Obama

ISBN-13: 9781612053011 / Angielski / Twarda / 2013 / 384 str.

Michael A. Genovese; Todd L. Belt; William W. Lammers

Opis

Each president brings to the White House a distinct set of personal characteristics and a preferred leadership style, but just how much have individual presidents shaped domestic policy? To understand and assess what factors determine one president's success and another's limited accomplishments, it is important to examine both the individual's leadership roles and the circumstances that shape opportunities for success. This book systematically examines the first terms of every president from FDR to Obama and assesses leadership style, the policy agenda, and the "political opportunity" facing each president. The success of each president in bringing about landmark legislation and other policy change is shown to hinge on the opportunities facing each president, his leadership style, and finally, his skill managing a variety of institutional and public relationships. Not all presidents are created equal, but some can implement strategies to overcome formidable obstacles, rising into the vaunted ranks of the "Great Presidents." The second edition of this timely book adds chapters on George W. Bush and Barack Obama and focuses on the significant domestic policy challenges of their respective times. Tax cuts, education policy, and homeland security are featured for the Bush era, while health care reform, economic policy initiatives, immigration, and gun control are highlights for Obama. Both offer insights into contemporary presidential leadership in a highly partisan age. In addition, the authors have reconfigured the analytical framework of the book to take into account the "dynamic opportunity structure" that emerged during the George W. Bush administration.

Spis treści

List of Tables
Preface

Part I. The High Opportunity Presidents
Chapter 1. Strategies for Assessing Presidents
Chapter 2. Franklin D. Roosevelt: Artful Leadership during Hard Times
Chapter 3. Lyndon B. Johnson: Legislative Leadership and a Credibility Gap
Chapter 4. Ronald Reagan: One Big Year
Chapter 5. George W. Bush: A Resolute Decider with a Co-President

Part II. The Moderate Opportunity Presidents
Chapter 6. Harry S. Truman: A Broker with Beliefs
Chapter 7. Dwight D. Eisenhower: A Skilled Centrist
Chapter 8. John F. Kennedy: A Quest for Heroic Leadership
Chapter 9. Barack Obama: A Negotiator without a Partner

Part III. The Low Opportunity Presidents
Chapter 10. Richard Nixon: An Activist with an Enemies List
Chapter 11. Jimmy Carter: An Outsider’s Pursuit of “Trustee” Leadership
Chapter 12. George Bush: A Reluctant Guardian
Chapter 13. Bill Clinton: A Perpetual Campaigner under Siege

Part IV. Conclusion
Chapter 14. Opportunities, Challenges, and Skills: Comparing the Presidents

Select Bibliography
Subject Index
Citations of Authors

O autorze

Michael A. Genovese is Director of the Institute for Leadership Studies and holds the Loyola Chair of Leadership as Professor of Political Science at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. He received his PhD in political science from the University of Southern California and has authored over 30 books and edits a series on the presidency. Genovese has won numerous awards for outstanding teaching and scholarship.

Todd L. Belt is Professor of Political Science at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo. He received his PhD at the University of Southern California. He is the coauthor of the books We Interrupt This Newscast: How to Improve Local News and Win Ratings, Too and Getting Involved: A Guide to Student Citizenship.

William W. Lammers (late) was Professor of Political Science at the University of Southern California. He was an authority on presidential politics and federal policies toward the aging, and he dedicated his research to American political processes and public policy formation. His books include Presidential Politics: Patterns and Prospects and Public Policy and the Aging.