Bending the Curve of History through Multiple Modes of Change: Reconstructive Presidential Leadership in a Constrained Environment
Year: 2013
Type: preprint
Abstract: Modern reconstructive presidents face an institutional environment that affords defenders of the status quo historically strong veto possibilities, making today’s politics resistant to the “order shattering” and “order creating” mode of change most frequently associated with the leadership type. This paper responds to the possibility that these conditions portend the end of reconstructive leadership. It applies fresh insights gleaned from new institutionalist scholarship to discuss the full range of change strategies available to presidents inheriting the opportunity to reshape the political order. Examples, drawn from the constrained presidency of Ronald Reagan, demonstrate how displacement, layering, conversion, and drift were used to institutionalize a new political regime. Application of new theory recalibrates expectations and reveals reconstructive politics to be part of a multi-level game, wherein presidents can aim to revitalize the system by altering pathways of development and bending the curve of history.
Source: SSRN Electronic Journal
Author: Curt Nichols
Institution: Baylor University
Language: English
Field: Social Sciences
Domain: Social Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W195169261