Presidential Leadership: Politics and Policy Making

Long established as a leading introduction to the American presidency, Presidential Leadership, twelfth edition provides students with a comprehensive survey that addresses the capacity of chief executives to fulfill their tasks, exercise their powers, and utilize their organizational structures to affect the output of government. The authors examine all aspects of the presidency in rich detail, including the president’s powers, presidential history, and the institution of the presidency.

The new edition has been substantially updated to integrate the Trump presidency, including both impeachments, and the first year of the Biden presidency. Other examples of the latest coverage include

The 2020 elections, including the contested aftermath of the presidential election and the January 6 riotChanges to the presidential nomination processThe most recent Supreme Court nominationsThe executive’s response to the Covid-19 pandemicNew developments in presidential public relationsChanges in media relations

George C. Edwards III is University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies at Texas A&M University. He has served as both the Winant Professor of American Government and the Olin Professor of American Government at Oxford. He was also the founder and from 1991-2001 the director of The Center for Presidential Studies. A leading scholar of the presidency, he has written or edited 26 books on American politics and public policy making and more than 80 articles and book chapters.

Kenneth Mayer is professor of political science at the University of Wisconsin, Madison. His expertise is in the presidency, campaign finance, and election administration. He is the author of With the Stroke of a Pen: Executive Orders and Presidential Power, and an award-winning teacher.

Steve Wayne is professor of political science at Georgetown University. An expert on the American Presidency, he has authored over 100 articles, chapters, and book reviews and written 12 books, several in multiple editions, including Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Election?