Beyond Persuasion: Organizational Efficiency and Presidential Power

Beyond Persuasion is the first systematic, multi-administration study of presidential power and influence. Moving beyond Richard Neustadt’s Presidential Power, this book offers a model of presidential power that incorporates personal bargaining effectiveness with the structural imperative of efficient White House organization. Drawing upon a systematic analysis of presidents from Johnson to Reagan, Kerbel finds common patterns of organizational structure and bargaining behavior in their successful domestic policy initiatives. The path to power is detailed through comparative insights on the Carter and Reagan administrations, which prove to be remarkably similar in critical respects despite popular perceptions to the contrary. Kerbel then considers the relative importance of presidential behavior to contextual factors beyond the president’s control, offering insight into the way changes in economic and political conditions have hampered or improved recent presidential efforts, despite presidential attempts to organize and persuade. Analysis includes the first year of the Bush administration, and the possibilities for power in the contemporary presidency are discussed.