Synopses & Reviews
Presidents of nations with constitutionally imposed term limits are often viewed as growing weaker as they approach the end of their time in office. However, in this important new study, political scientist Genevieve M. Kehoe argues that because such chief executives are free from reelection constraint and often still enthusiastic to create a legacy by pursuing bold projects, they may accomplish significant initiatives. Kehoe has developed a concept for this which she calls andldquo;Terminal Logic Behaviorandrdquo; (TLB).
Presidents and Terminal Logic Behavior: Term Limits and Executive Action in the United States, Brazil, and Argentina provides both case studies and quantitative evidence to show how US presidents of the last three decades have utilized decrees on foreign, domestic, and environment policy during their final months in office. She finds a systematic pattern of decree use consistent with the mark of TLB in a most unexpected placeandmdash;presidentsandrsquo; use of national emergency powers. In a careful comparative analysis, she also finds support for her argument in the Argentinean and Brazilian experience of the same period.
Review
" Kehoe's study advances our understanding of how presidents use their powers, both in the United States and abroad. The book offers new insight into how the shadow of the future-- each presidency's inevitable end-- weighs on the stategies of individual politicians."--John Carey, Wentworth Professor in the Social Sciences
Review
"In this thoughtful book, Genevieve Kehoe tells us a very different story than the one we are used to hearing about how presidents behave in their final weeks in office.and#160; Though defeated and possibly discredited, presidents in many democracies do not slink towards the exit.and#160; Rather, they issue executive decrees with new-found abandon--leaving not with a whimper, but a bang." --Dr. William Howell, Sydney Stein Professor in American Politics,and#160; Harris School of Public Policy and Department of Political Science, University of Chicago
Review
andldquo;a well-written, well-researched examination of the tendency of lame duck presidents to andlsquo;make hay while the sun shines.andrsquo;andrdquo;andmdash;Daniel Franklin, Georgia State University
Review
andldquo;. . .the authorandrsquo;s findings are interesting and help contribute to a broader understanding of presidents in their final terms. . .the author is right in her conclusions.andrdquo;andmdash;Daniel Franklin, Georgia State University
About the Author
GENEVIEVE KEHOE is a visiting assistant professor of political science at Goucher College in Baltimore, Maryland.