Presidential Leadership
Politics and Policy Making
Kenneth R Mayer author Stephen J Wayne author George C Edwards III author
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloomsbury Publishing PLC
Publishing:30th Apr '26
£64.99
This title is due to be published on 30th April, and will be despatched as soon as possible.
Long established as a leading introduction to the American presidency, Presidential Leadership, Fourteenth Edition, provides students with a comprehensive survey that addresses the capacity of chief executives to fulfill their tasks, exercise their powers, and utilize their organizational structures to affect the output of government. The authors examine all aspects of the presidency in rich detail, including presidential powers, presidential history, and the institution of the presidency.
Edwards, Mayer, and Wayne analyze the institution and the presidents who hold the office through the key lens of leadership. The authors explain the leadership dilemma presidents face and their institutional, political, and personal capacities to meet it. Two models of presidential leadership help students understand the institution: one in which a strong president dominates the political environment as a director of change, and another in which the president performs a more limited role as facilitator of change. Each model provides an insightful perspectives to better understand leadership in the modern presidency and to evaluate the performance of individual presidents. With no simple formula for presidential success, and no partisan perspective driving the analysis, the authors help us understand that presidents and citizens alike must understand the nature of presidential leadership in a pluralistic system in which separate institutions share powers.
The fourteenth edition is fully updated through the start of Trump’s second administration, with recent policy developments, the 2024 elections, changes to the media environment, and the latest data. In addition, material from the prior edition’s chapter on domestic and economic policy has been incorporated into other chapters for an overall briefer text.
“Updated to reflect recent political developments and scholarship, Presidential Leadership remains the gold standard in presidency textbooks, comprehensive, accurate and clearly written.” * Richard Himelfarb, Professor of Political Science, Hofstra University, USA *
“Presidential Leadership has served as the primary text of my presidency course for more than two decades. It is clear, accessible, and insightful, making complex topics understandable without sacrificing depth. The 14th edition once again delivers a comprehensive yet engaging exploration of presidential power, elections, public opinion, and decision-making, as well as other critical aspects of the presidency. It remains the authoritative guide for students, scholars, and anyone seeking to understand the challenges and possibilities of presidential leadership.” * Peter L. Francia, Professor of Political Science and Director of the Center for Survey Research, East Carolina University, USA *
“Edwards, Wayne and Mayer has long been in the first rank of presidency texts. The authors’ comprehensive approach to analyzing the institution ensures that the new 14th edition continues to reflect both contemporary developments and the latest presidential scholarship. To this end, valuable updates are provided on the Biden presidency, the second Trump administration’s attempted extension of executive power, and the impact of the 2024 Trump vs. US Supreme Court decision on the scope of presidential immunity. The clear and concise summaries of the varied academic approaches to studying the institution reflect the authors’ high stature as presidency scholars. The writing, tables and graphics are clear and concise, making this work universally accessible to all readers interested in the presidency." * Nicol Rae, Professor, University of Arizona, USA *
“Presidential Leadership continues its reign as the leading textbook on presidential politics in American government. Edwards, Mayer, and Wayne not only provide readers with the essential details for understanding the executive branch, but they meticulously couch their work within the broader academic research on the presidency.” * Adam L. Warber, Professor of Political Science, Clemson University, USA *
“Presidential Leadership brings together several key attributes that I look for in a textbook on the presidency. It is written in an accessible way to help undergraduates make sense of this complex and evolving institution. It is current and relevant in focusing on the Trump and Biden presidencies while still providing broad historical context. It covers the key areas of presidential study. And it also provides its own conceptual framework that adds a level of sophistication and analysis to the text and that helps students to think about the presidency from a variety of perspectives.” * Lawrence Becker, Professor of Political Science, California State University, Northridge, USA *
ISBN: 9798216391555
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
632 pages
14th edition