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Power without Persuasion: The Politics of Direct Presidential Action
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Customer Reviews
Rating: - Good scholarship, but too complicated
Howell's book is part of a recent trend towards viewing the president as more than just one player in a larger system. Instead we can better understand the presidency if we realize that the president comes in to the game with institutional advantages over Congress and the courts.
Debunking further Richard Neustadt's bargaining hypothesis (see his book Presidential Power and the Modern Presidents), Howell argues that presidents have the ability in many situations to use direct forms of action, such as executive orders, rather than relying upon persuasion and normal legislative processes.
Howell's argument is a game-theoretic model, which ultimately undermines somewhat the usefulness of his argument. He makes some interesting points, but also leaves the reader wondering whether what he says is true in practice and in history, not just in theory.
Overall, recommended for serious scholars of the presidency only.
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