Synopses & Reviews
In this volume, presidential scholars from communication, history, law, philosophy, political science, and psychology explore the broader phenomenon of leadership. Like leadership more generally, presidential leadership is a value-laden activity, an exercise in communication, and a collective enterprise. It is also subject to psychological and historical barriers to interpretation. Finally, presidential leadership is instrumental: presidents must achieve their valued ends. Contributors address each of these aspects of leadership in essays on how presidential values are determined or constructed, how they are condoned and criticized, how they are packaged and conveyed, and how they are interpreted and acted upon.
Review
"At last, a book on presidential leadership that goes beyond strategic and tactical thinking about power stakes to explore the tensions between moral and ethical values on one hand and situational leadership on the other. I would recommend this volume not only to anyone teaching a course on the presidency, but also to anyone working in the next administration."--Richard Pious, Adolph and Effie Ochs Professor, Barnard College "This wonderful collection of first-rate articles deals with an oft neglected but very important element of presidential leadership: the role of values in presidential politics. The top-notch scholars who have contributed to this excellent volume offer a rich and diverse take on this vital topic and illuminate for the reader the vital role values play in politics and in leadership."--Michael A. Genovese, Loyola Chair of Leadership, Professor of Political Science, and Director of the Institute for Leadership Studies, Loyola Marymount University and Past President, Presidency Research Group, American Political Science Association "The editors of this book have brought together an eclectic group of distinguished scholars to examine the role of values as they underlie leadership in the American presidency. The mix of disciplinary perspectives, historical and contemporary cases, and normative concerns yields a volume of nuance and insight that will be of interest to all who study leadership and the presidency. "--Robert J. Spitzer, Distinguished Service Professor of Political Science, SUNY Cortland and Past President, Presidency Research Group, American Political Science Association "Effective presidential leadership needs to be informed and shaped by the appropriate moral context. Conjoining normative and empirical analyses, this collection of new studies of presidential leadership covers many of the familiar topics in leadership studies, while emphasizing the crucial dimension of ideas and beliefs, all too often neglected in modern social science."--Jeffrey K. Tulis, Associate Professor, Department of Government, University of Texas at Austin
Synopsis
Contributors address aspects of presidential leadership in essays on how presidential values are determined or constructed, how they are condoned and criticized, how they are packaged and conveyed, and how they are interpreted and acted upon. Includes scholars from communication, history, law, philosophy, political science, and psychology
About the Author
TERRY L. PRICE is Associate Professor at the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. He has degrees in philosophy, politics, and psychology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and the University of Oxford, and he completed his doctorate in philosophy at the University of Arizona. His work has been published in outlets such as the Encyclopedia of Leadership, Journal of Political Philosophy, and Leadership Quarterly. He is author of Understanding Ethical Failures in Leadership on Cambridge University Press and co-editor of the three-volume reference set The International Library of Leadership. J. THOMAS WREN is Professor of Leadership Studies and Interim Dean of the Jepson School of Leadership Studies at the University of Richmond. He has an undergraduate degree in economics and social studies from Denison University, a law degree from the University of Virginia, a master's in public policy from George Washington University, and a master's and doctorate in history from the College of William and Mary. In addition to a number of articles and book chapters, he has edited The Leader's Companion: Insights on Leadership through the Ages and written an accompanying Instructor's Manual. He is co-editor of the three-volume reference, The International Library of Leadership. His most recent book (in press) is Inventing Leadership: The Challenge of Democracy.
Table of Contents
Introduction--Terry L. Price and J. Thomas Wren *
PART I: GOD AND COUNTRY * Lincoln, Religion, and Presidential Leadership--Michael Nelson * Patriotic Leadership--A. John Simmons *
PART II: COMMUNICATING VALUES * Rhetorical Leadership and the Presidency: A Situational Taxonomy--Martin Medhurst * Changing Their Minds? The Limits of Presidential Persuasion--George Edwards *
PART III: COLLECTIVE LEADERSHIP * Presidential Leadership and Advice about Going to War--James Pfiffner * The Bushes: Standing Alone vs. Standing Together--James MacGregor Burns *
PART IV: IMAGE AND REALITY IN THE PRESIDENCY * Granted 'Blinked': Appraising Presidential Leadership--George Goethals * Leading Behind the Scenes: Eleanor Roosevelt and the Politics of Candor--Matthew B. Kugler *
PART V: PRESIDENTIAL WRONGDOING * Should Presidents Obey the Law? (And What's 'The Law' Anyway?)--Frederick Schauer * Presidential Dirty Hands--Judith Lichtenberg * Conclusion--J. Thomas Wren and Terry L. Price