This classic text on the American presidency analyzes the institution and the presidents who hold the office through the key lens of leadership. Edwards, Mayer, and Wayne explain the leadership dilemma presidents face and their institutional, political, and personal capacities to meet it.
Two models of presidential leadership help us 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.
This fully revised fourteenth edition is fully updated through the start of the second Trump administration, with recent policy developments, the unprecendented 2024 presidential elections, changes to the media environment and emerging technologies such as AI, and the latest data.
For Students
This open-access Companion Website is designed to reinforce the concepts covered in the text. Students can review and enhance their understanding of each chapter using the self-graded quizzes, web activities, and web links to additional resources.
A test bank and PowerPoint® slides accompany this text. These instructor ancillaries are password-protected. To access them, please click the link below. Existing users can log in with their username and password, and new users can request access by submitting the Access Request form.
