The Presidency and Economic Policy

The health of the American economy is a topic of discussion among undergraduate students in public policy and the American presidency. Policymakers and citizens also are concerned with economic prosperity and the problems associated with unemployment, taxation, health care, trade, and inflation as well as other economic issues. While the study of the economy may be a primary concern for scholars, most people care more about how economic performance and presidential economic policymaking impacts their daily lives. Therefore, the purpose of this book is to provide undergraduates and laypersons with a blueprint of the performance of the economy and the ability of the president to manage economic policy. Little has been published on the specific nexus between the presidency and economic policy. The goal of this updated and streamlined text is to provide students with an examination of the historical and substantive policy issues that shape the relationship between the American presidency and the economy.

About the Author :
Chris J. Dolan is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at Lebanon Valley College in Pennsylvania. His research on the American presidency, U.S. foreign policy, and economic policy appears in a number of political science and international relations journals and in numerous edited volumes. He is the author of In War We Trust and co-editor of Striking First. He previously held positions at the University of Central Florida and Presbyterian College. Raymond Tatalovich is Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. His areas of specialization are the Presidency, Executive Branch, and public policy analysis, with particular emphasis on moral conflicts in policymaking. He has published over 50 scholarly articles, chapters, or monographs and authored or edited 12 books, including Moral Controversies in American Politics, The Presidency and Political Science (Johns Hopkins, 2003), Cultures at War: Moral Conflicts in Western Democracies, and Nativism Reborn?: The Official English Language Movement and the American States. John Frendreis is Professor of Political Science at Loyola University Chicago. His areas of scholarly expertise include American politics, with special emphasis on political parties and elections, and his publications include two books and articles in numerous journals, including "American Political Science Review," "American Journal of Politics," "Journal of Politics", "Political Research Quarterly, and "Polity". His current research includes a multi-year, multi-state study of the role of local political parties in state legislative elections.

Review :
A must read for students and scholars of the presidency. In addition to capturing the critical role that the president plays in managing the nation's economy, the authors highlight the executive's role in marrying economic policy and presidential leadership. The book clearly explains some basic principles of economics plus how the president influences economic policy. Many students have little economic background when they take courses on the Presidency, and this book fills that gap.--Shirley Anne Warshaw, Gettysburg College A useful overview of the role of the presidency in the US economy. Summing Up: Recommended.-- "Choice Reviews" The second edition of The Presidency and the Economy remains the best source for analyzing the role of the President in trying to provide what the public expects--prosperity.--John W. Sloan, University of Houston Presidency and Economic Policy provides a comprehensive, reliable, and readable view of presidential actions since World War II to manage the economy. Skillfully combining historical, institutional, and analytical perspectives, and drawing upon a wide variety of sources, the authors cast bright light on the problems, politics, and limitations of presidential economic policymaking and on the content of policy. Anyone wanting to be informed about presidential economic policymaking will gain much from this insightful, balanced, and up-to-date book, just as I did. It merits three cheers.--James Anderson, Texas A&M University