This collection views the recruitment and selection of presidential candidates, presidential personality, advisory networks, policy making, evaluations of presidents, and comparative analysis of chief executives.Additionally, specialists in cognitive psychology, formal theory, organization theory, leadership theory, institutionalism, and methodology, apply their expertise to the analysis of the presidentcy to generate innovative approaches to presidential research.

Kessel (Ohio State University, emeritus) draws on the presidencies of Eisenhower through Clinton to examine the president in the context of the institutional presidency and the political environment. The role and importance of the White House staff is emphasized, and the relationships between the White House and Congress and the media are examined. Kessel also evaluates each contemporary president based on their successes and failures in policy. c. Book News Inc.

Although congressional investigations have provided some of the most dramatic moments in American political history, they have often been dismissed as mere political theater. But these investigations are far more than grandstanding. Investigating the President shows that congressional investigations are a powerful tool for members of Congress to counter presidential aggrandizement. By shining a light on alleged executive wrongdoing, investigations can exert significant pressure on the president and materially affect policy outcomes. Douglas Kriner and Eric Schickler construct the most comprehensive overview of congressional investigative oversight to date, analyzing nearly thirteen thousand days of hearings, spanning more than a century, from 1898 through 2014. The authors examine the forces driving investigative power over time and across chambers, identify how hearings might influence the president's strategic calculations through the erosion of the president’s public approval rating, and uncover the pathways through which investigations have shaped public policy. Put simply, by bringing significant political pressure to bear on the president, investigations often afford Congress a blunt, but effective check on presidential power—without the need to worry about veto threats or other hurdles such as Senate filibusters. In an era of intense partisan polarization and institutional dysfunction, Investigating the President delves into the dynamics of congressional investigations and how Congress leverages this tool to counterbalance presidential power.

Americans have little interest in government and politics and are cynical about those who govern, believing that government does not work. In response, this text discusses whether the presidency as an institution is optimally designed for effective governance in the 21st century.

"This book will compel scholars to take a new look at the role of "political opportunism" in the presidential selection process. Lara Brown provides a fresh, innovative exploration of the roots of opportunism, one that challenges conventional wisdom as it advances our understanding of this complex topic."--Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Marymount University.

Higher education has changed significantly over the past 50 years, and the individuals who provide leadership for these institutions has similarly changed. The pathway to the college presidency, once the domain of academic administration, has diversified as an increasing number of development officers, student affairs and enrollment management professionals, and even politicians have become common in the role. It is important to understand who the presidents are in the current environment and the challenges they face. Challenges such as dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic, enrollment shortfalls, Title IX, and athletic scandals have risen to the forefront and have contributed to the issues and role of college and university leadership. The Handbook of Research on the Changing Role of College and University Leadership provides important research on the topic of college and university leadership, especially focusing on the changing role of the college president. The chapters discuss college leadership as it is now and how it will evolve into the future. Topics included are the role of the president at various types of universities, their involvement within university functions and activities, and the duties they must carry out and challenges they face. This book is ideal for professionals and researchers working in higher education, including faculty members who specialize in education, public administration, the social sciences, and management, along with teachers, administrators, teacher educators, practitioners, researchers, academicians, and students who are interested in college and university leadership and how this role is transforming.

In the wake of Hurricane Katrina, many questioned whether the large number of political appointees in the Federal Emergency Management Agency contributed to the agency's poor handling of the catastrophe, ultimately costing hundreds of lives and causing immeasurable pain and suffering. The Politics of Presidential Appointments examines in depth how and why presidents use political appointees and how their choices impact government performance--for better or worse. One way presidents can influence the permanent bureaucracy is by filling key posts with people who are sympathetic to their policy goals. But if the president's appointees lack competence and an agency fails in its mission--as with Katrina--the president is accused of employing his friends and allies to the detriment of the public. Through case studies and cutting-edge analysis, David Lewis takes a fascinating look at presidential appointments dating back to the 1960s to learn which jobs went to appointees, which agencies were more likely to have appointees, how the use of appointees varied by administration, and how it affected agency performance. He argues that presidents politicize even when it hurts performance--and often with support from Congress--because they need agencies to be responsive to presidential direction. He shows how agency missions and personnel--and whether they line up with the president's vision--determine which agencies presidents target with appointees, and he sheds new light on the important role patronage plays in appointment decisions.