Dilemmas of Presidential Leadership: From Washington through Lincoln [Paperback]

Richard Ellis (Author), Aaron Wildavsky (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 156000553X | ISBN-13: 978-1560005537 | Publication Date: January 1, 1989

Dilemmas of Presidential Leadership challenges the widely accepted distinction between "traditional" and "modern" presidencies, a dichotomy by which political science has justified excluding from its domain of inquiry all presidents preceding Franklin Roosevelt. Rather than divide history into two mutually exclusive eras, Richard Ellis and Aaron Wildavsky divide history into three sorts of people-egalitarians, individualists and hierarchs. All presidents, the authors contend, must manage the competition between these rival political cultures. It is this commonality, which lays the basis for comparing presidents across time. This analysis lays groundwork for a new basis for comparison of early presidents with modern presidents.

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About the Author

Aaron Wildavsky (1930-1993) was considered one of the most innovative and prolific scholars in the field of political research, particularly in the field of risk. At the time of his death, he was a  professor of political science and public policy at the University of California, Berkeley. His work focused on reintroducing the importance of culture to political science and he was most famous for his role in developing the cultural theory of risk.

Product Details

• Paperback: 546 pages
• Publisher: Transaction Publishers (January 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 156000553X
• ISBN-13: 978-1560005537
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,532,547 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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