Presidential Leadership: Politics and Policy Making [Paperback]

III, George C. Edwards (Author), Stephen J. Wayne (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 8, 2002 | ISBN-10: 0534602371 | ISBN-13: 978-0534602376 | Edition: 6

From routine operations to the workings of a White House in crisis, this comprehensive, best-selling text examines all facets of the presidency in rich detail. George C. Edwards and Stephen J. Wayne use an engaging combination of analytical prose and timely, fascinating examples to examine the presidency from two theoretical standpoints--the President as "facilitator," and the President as "director of change." Their theoretical (versus chronological) approach, combined with the currency and relevance of the material covered in the text, have made PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP: POLITICS AND POLICY MAKING the most comprehensive and best-selling text available today for your presidential studies course.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"I appreciated the opportunity to use the policymaking emphasis of the textbook so that the students could see the centrality of the presidential office in facilitating changes in our governance system in domestic and in international politics."

"The greatest strengths of the book include…the historical overview of the presidency…(and) the suggested readings at the end of each chapters…"

"…clearly written…covering all the topics utilized in most presidency classes."

"The three greatest strengths are (the) breadth of topics covered, its readability, and its practical application to the study of the presidency." --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

George C. Edwards III, one of the country's leading scholars of the presidency, is Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Texas A&M University. He also holds the George and Julia Blucher Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies in the Bush School, and has held visiting appointments at Oxford, the University of London, Peking University, Hebrew University in Jerusalem, the University of Wisconsin, and the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He was the founder and from 1991-2001 the director of The Center for Presidential Studies. He has authored dozens of articles and has written or edited nineteen books on American politics and public policy making, including AT THE MARGINS: PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP OF CONGRESS, PRESIDENTIAL APPROVAL, PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP, NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE U.S. CONSTITUTION, IMPLEMENTING PUBLIC POLICY, and RESEARCHING THE PRESIDENCY. He is also editor of Presidential Studies Quarterly. Among his latest books, ON DEAF EARS: THE LIMITS OF THE BULLY PULPIT is a study of the effectiveness of presidential leadership of public opinion, and WHY THE ELECTORAL COLLEGE IS BAD FOR AMERICA advocates direct election of the president. He serves on the Board of Directors of the Roper Center and the Board of Trustees of the Center for the Study of the Presidency.

Stephen Wayne received his B.A. from the University of Rochester and M.A. and Ph.D. from Columbia University. An expert on the American Presidency, he has written nine books, several in multiple editions, and over 100 articles, chapters, and book reviews. His major works include THE ROAD TO THE WHITE HOUSE, now in its seventh edition; THE LEGISLATIVE PRESIDENCY; PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP (with George C. Edwards), now in its seventh edition; a co-authored introductory text, entitled THE POLITICS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT, now in its third edition; IS THIS ANY WAY TO RUN A DEMOCRATIC ELECTION? and THE ELECTION OF THE CENTURY (with Clyde Wilcox). A Washington-based insider for over 30 years, Professor Wayne is a frequently-quoted commentator on the presidency and presidential elections. He has served as President of the Presidency Research Group and The National Capital Area Political Science Association, regularly lectures to international visitors, senior federal executives, and college students in the United States and abroad, and has testified before Congress and both major political parties.

Product Details

• Paperback: 576 pages
• Publisher: Wadsworth Publishing; 6 edition (August 8, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0534602371
• ISBN-13: 978-0534602376
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,518,131 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best Presidential Text Around, January 23, 2001

By 

"nolandavis" (DeKalb, IL, U.S.A.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Presidential Leadership: Politics and Policy Making (Paperback)

This is an excellent text for anyone interested in political leadership. Both the beginner and anyone who wants a top notch reference text. I have owned dozens of books on the American presidency, I only buy one from the list to give as a gift to others: Edwards & Wayne's "Presidential Leadership." Buy it you will enjoy it. I am buying a new copy to replace my old copy, which is falling apart!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Political Science, July 1, 2008

By 

Carole G. Barker (Dahlonega, GA USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Presidential Leadership: Politics and Policy Making (Paperback)

This book was required reading for my Political Science class on the American Presidency. It was very informative and supported the professor's lectures.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Decent introduction, November 3, 2007

By 

A. Olson - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Presidential Leadership: Politics and Policy Making (Paperback)

Edwards creates a book which may be a decent introduction to some more complicated ideas presented by more famous or prolific Political Scientists like Neustadt or Kernell, but there isn't a clear thesis to his book and much of it is uncited, which leads to incorrect assumptions, or things which are flat out wrong.

In specific, he writes on page 332 that "the houses of Congress are highly decentralized," and then runs with that assumption for quite some time. Edwards could not be further from the truth on this matter. It is a nearly unanimous conclusion among Congressional scholars (Smith, Gamm, Schikler, Dodd, Aldrich, Cooper) that the Congress has become almost as centralized as the days of Czar Cannon.

He also writes that Congressional voting records have been moving away from party line voting but this is flat wrong. The levels of party homogeneity are at an all time high and intra party cooperation is at an all time low. This negatively affects his conclusions in reference to the interactions between the President and the Congress.

While this book may be a good overview of certain things, Edwards has incorrect conclusion when it comes to the examination of Congressional / Presidential negotiations... and that relationship ought to be one of the clearest in the mind of any aspiring Political Scientist.