Professional Pathways to the Presidency

ISBN-13: 9781137471048 / Angielski / Twarda / 2015 / 251 str.

Theresa Marchant-Shapiro

Opis

During presidential elections a quadrennial debate emerges, wherein candidates lay claim to qualification for the presidency based on their prior professional experiences. Usually this entails invoking the legacy of one of the great presidents, who followed the same trajectory to the White House. Missing from this debate is a systematic analysis of how the different job experiences prepared the population of all presidents for service. For each of the greats who followed a particular pathway to the presidency there is at least one failure who shared the pathway. This book takes both a quantitative and descriptive approach to evaluate all the presidents systematically in order to discuss how prior professional experiences influence presidential performances.

Recenzje

"Theresa Marchant-Shapiro provides an exceptional analysis of a previously underexamined matter: how previous professional experience relates to presidential greatness. A must read for all scholars of the American presidency." - Mark D. Brewer, Professor of Political Science, University of Maine, USA

"In a unique blending of political history and relevant statistics, Theresa Marchant-Shapiro has provided a valuable portrait of the how pre-presidential political career patterns impact retrospective performance assessments. This book helps to explain how two centuries of varying routes to the White House may account for why some presidents succeed in office while others do not." - Garrison Nelson, Professor of Political Science, University of Vermont, USA

"Which life experiences prepare people to become skillful presidents? That should be a topic that interests every voter. But too often we rely on anecdotes cherry-picked from presidential biographies to form our opinions. This book brings a historically knowledgeable, balanced, and thoughtful approach to the topic instead. It is an important step forward in the study of the presidency." - Christopher H. Achen, Professor of Politics, Princeton University, USA

Spis treści

1. Political Pathways to the Presidency 2. Generally Popular: Military Experience 3. Heir Apparent: Vice Presidents 4. Washington Insiders: Members of Congress 5. From the Governor's Mansion to the White House: Governors 6. A Little Something Extra: National Appointees 7. The Business of the Presidency: Non-Political Experience 8. Modeling Greatness: Evaluating the Pathways to the Presidency

O autorze

Theresa Marchant-Shapiro is Assistant Professor of Political Science at Southern Connecticut State University, USA. She teaches courses in leadership and mass political behavior. She recently published Statistics for Political Analysis. Her current research addresses how the roles of leaders change in the context of overlapping organizations.