Inside the Coordination Paradigm

In this chapter, we examine the shift in presidentialism studies away from Linzian questions of conflict towards questions of coordination in executive-legislative relations. This change of focus has brought presidential studies into line with the research on parliamentary systems, generating a more unified literature on comparative executive politics. Focusing specifically on minority presidents and issues of coalition management, we explore how a conceptual vocabulary familiar to students of parliamentarism has shaped the emerging research agenda. We consider the phenomenon of ‘coalitional presidentialism’, which has become the modal form of minority presidential rule in modern democracies facing higher levels of party fragmentation. We discuss why coalitional presidentialism ‘matters’ for both empirical and theoretical reasons, and review the state of the literature on coalition management. Finally, we identify areas of future research in this field.

Review Article: A Structured Review of Semi-Presidential Studies: Debates, Results and Missing Pieces

This study maps the general lines of semi-presidential research with regard to theory, topics and methods. It identifies research gaps and provides recommendations for future studies. The review includes a general screening of 327 publications covering the period 1970–2015, and a close reading of sixty-five selected publications. The findings suggest that the inconsistent use of regime type definitions has limited the possibilities for generalizations. The study tracks the influence of some seminal articles, as well as the recent trend of focusing on the role and powers of the president. The article calls for more studies beyond Europe, and suggests that the field would benefit from including Historical and Normative Institutionalism. Finally, it suggests the need for studies on public administration that are relevant to the functioning of semi-presidential government.

This great prayerful tradition : American presidents preaching public theology at the National Prayer Breakfast

This study presents a comprehensive analysis of the speeches delivered by American presidents at the National Prayer Breakfast (NPB) from its inception in 1953 until 2016, as well as the rhetorical context of the NPB. Taking a dual-disciplinary approach that combines public theology and presidential studies, this study delineates a generic pattern in the presidential prayer breakfast address built around five narratives. In their speeches at the NPB, presidents construct narratives of faith, connecting divine and human stories in ways that move beyond personal piety, civil religion, or a politicized use of religious language. Presidents serve as public theologians through their prayer breakfast speeches, engaging in transformative rhetoric to communicate their messages. The annual NPB creates a unique liminal space for the president to experiment with speaking theologically.

Reexamining the Nineteenth-Century Presidency and Partisan Press: The Case of President Grant and the Whiskey Ring Scandal

Studies of the institutional development of the presidency and popular leadership by presidents over time lead us to contrary expectations as to how a nineteenth-century president would react to a major political scandal. Scholarship on newspapers of the late 1800s is also unclear on how a quasipartisan media, with some outlets moving toward independence, would cover a White House scandal. I find that a close analysis of the case of President Ulysses S. Grant and the Whiskey Ring scandal forces us to reconsider what we assume to be firmly modern developments in both presidential studies and media history. Though a supposedly “premodern” president, Grant still mounted a concerted effort to mitigate the damage of the scandal. Further, although the president could get his version of events across in prominent newspapers, Republican newspaper coverage was hardly reliable. Newspapers also connected politicians’ character and psychology to mistakes made in office and made presidential strategies to shape public perception clear to their audiences—emphases on political gamesmanship considered hallmarks of the modern media environment.

The President and American Capitalism since 1945

This chapter notes the decline of presidential studies in the historiography of the United States and observes that this volume will contribute to a renewed interest in the topic. The chapter also introduces the major themes explored throughout the book. Finally, it provides brief summaries of the following fifteen chapters.

The President and American Capitalism Since 1945

This anthology contributes to the literature on the history of capitalism and connects the fields of political history, business history, and presidential studies. The essays demonstrate the prominent role of presidents in the economic and social fabric of American life. At the same time, the essays highlight the changing role of liberalism in post-World War II America. The chapters are organized thematically and grouped together as sections on patterns, sectors, and environments. The book, likewise, emphasizes the key role played by the presidency in the development of capitalism since 1945.

The Presidency and American Political Development

In contrast to mainstream presidential studies, American Political Development (APD) scholars have viewed presidents as critical agents of structural change. They have dedicated creative theorizing, archival research, process tracing, and thick description to the investigation of how presidents have been formative actors in state-building and in redefining regime norms and the terms of constitutional government throughout American history. This chapter explores how an APD approach to studying the presidency sheds light on critical questions such as how presidents have influenced the rise and fall of political orders in American history; how presidential power has been affected by the emergence of “big government” during the first six decades of the twentieth century; and how the establishment of a presidency-centered democracy forged on the New Deal political order has affected representative constitutional government. Continued attention to regime-level issues requires that APD maintain its traditional ties to political theory and the humanities.