The Enigma of Presidential Power
Parties, Policies and Strategic Uses of Unilateral Action

Presidents are more constrained in exercising unilateral actions than before. This book asks: when does unilateral action correspond to presidential power?

Fang-Yi Chiou (Author), Lawrence S. Rothenberg (Author)

9781107191501, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 18 April 2017

242 pages, 27 b/w illus. 35 tables
23.6 x 15.7 x 1.9 cm, 0.5 kg

'Chiou and Rothenberg combine exhaustive new data with impressively innovative methods to generate real insight. They have made a key contribution to our understanding of the significance of presidential unilateralism. It's a topic that will only become more central to the field, and more importantly to the country, in the years to come.' Andrew Rudalevige, Thomas Brackett Reed Professor of Government, Bowdoin College, Maine

With gridlock, presidents increasingly rely on unilateral actions - means not requiring legislative statutes - which many view as tantamount to power. Using a variety of approaches, Chiou and Rothenberg show that this need not be the case as, under many conditions, the chief executive's employment of such tools is constrained. Rather, presidents contemplating issuing executive orders are often constrained by worries about challenging the legislature and the courts. Most notably, the ability of Congress to employ extra-statutory means, involving efforts by legislators and their parties that don't require passing a law, limit how presidents utilize their discretion. Additionally, political parties can influence presidential choices and actions both by restricting the ideological direction in which presidents can push policy via discretionary authority and by agenda-setting and disciplining members in the legislative process. Nor are all presidential actions equal, as the policy area involved and the importance of an action condition presidential power.

1. Introduction
2. Thinking about power: theoretical models
3. Not all unilateral actions are created equal: measuring the significance of executive orders
4. The race for power: empirically examining competing models
5. Bringing the parties in: legislative partisan influence and presidential power
6. The subtleties of power - assessing the two presidencies
7. Conclusions - solving the enigma of presidential power.

Subject Areas: Constitution: government & the state [JPHC]