Matthew J Dickinson
Biographic Data
| ID | 711670 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Matthew J Dickinson |
| GIVEN NAMES | Matthew J |
| FAMILY NAME | Dickinson |
| SIGNATURE | DICKINSON M J |
| AFFILIATIONS | Middlebury College |
| VERIFIED | No |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 86 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 22 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 1997 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2021 |
| H-INDEX | 6 |
Turnover, Loyalty and Competence in the West Wing: The Trump White House in Historical Context
Pundits and scholars alike point to the high rates of administrative chaos and staff turnover in the Trump White House, but prior research has not been able to pin down the cause(s) empirically. In this paper, we develop a survival model and conduct a Bayesian latent trait analysis to examine the tenure rates of White House aides serving presidents Nixon through Trump. We find that, compared to his presidential predecessors, Trump′s White House s…
Democracy's Disparity? Gender, Equality, and the 2020 Iowa Caucuses
Relic: How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government—and Why We Need a More Powerful Presidency
As the book’s title indicates, William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe believe that the Constitution was drafted for purposes more appropriate for a bygone era and that today it prevents the political system from addressing pressing national problems. In making this claim, the authors try to distinguish their argument from contemporary critiques of the political system that focus on a polarized Congress, a faulty electoral system, a divided public, or…
The Limits to Power without Persuasion
Research on executive action often assumes that presidents face an either/or decision between issuing an administrative order and seeking legislation. This premise, however, ignores differing structural characteristics of administrative and legislative policy vehicles. This article will argue that, rather than see administrative actions as equivalent to legislation, presidents understand the distinct advantages and disadvantages each policy instr…
The 2012 Presidential Election: Taking the “Fun” Out of Fundamentals
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Presidents and the Dissolution of the Union: Leadership Style from Polk to Lincoln
In his study of the leadership style exhibited by six presidents, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln, Fred Greenstein applies the analytic scheme he first unveiled in The Presidential Difference to explain how the decisions that these men made in the critical period 1846–1861 led to the Civil War. Greenstein argues that their actions, beginning with Polk's ill-fated decision to provo…
Nixon's Court: His Challenge to Judicial Liberalism and Its Political Consequences
Journal Article Nixon's Court: His Challenge to Judicial Liberalism and Its Political Consequences Get access Nixon's Court: His Challenge to Judicial Liberalism and Its Political Consequences by Kevin J. McMahon. Chicago, IL, University of Chicago Press. 360 pp. $29.00. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Middlebury College Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 128, Iss…
Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch
We All Want a Revolution: Neustadt, New Institutionalism, and the Future of Presidency Research
The publication of Richard E. Neustadt's “Presidential Power” in 1960 revolutionized presidential studies—a revolution that continues today. Contrary to claims that his book “personalized” presidential studies, thus delaying research progress, scholars' efforts to grapple with Neustadt's teachings inspired some of the subfield's most significant and enduring research agendas. Many of Neustadt's most important insights, however, such as the link b…
Against the President: Dissent and Decision-Making in the White House: A Historical Perspective by Mark J. White
Journal Article Against the President: Dissent and Decision-Making in the White House: A Historical Perspective by Mark J. White Get access Against the President: Dissent and Decision-Making in the White House: A Historical Perspective by Mark J. White. Chicago, IL, Ivan R. Dee, 2007. 370 pp. $28.95. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Middlebury College Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Scie…
Reexamining the Growth of the Institutional Presidency, 1940–2000
Scholars differ regarding the reason for the institutionalization of a large, functionally specialized White House-centered presidential staff system during the last six decades. Among the factors cited is a general growth in government size and complexity, increases in the presidential workload, and the institutional rivalry between the president and Congress. However, using new advances in time-series analysis based on fractional integration, w…
Worked Out in Fractions: Neutral Competence, FDR, and the Bureau of the Budget
Presidents seem to scorn the “neutral competence” political scientists insist they need. Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45), however, evidently embraced this administrative approach–even at a time when the demands for presidential leadership were arguably greater than those experienced by any of his successors. Roosevelt thus offers an important historical test case for both critics and advocates of neutral competence. Focusing specifically on the Bure…
Neustadt, New Institutionalism, and Presidential Decision Making: A Theory and Test
The institutionalization of a White House‐centered presidential staff system is often described as a logical response by presidents to increasing leadership demands linked to the post‐World War II growth in government size and complexity. In contrast, I take a supply‐side perspective, using transaction‐cost theory and insights from Richard Neustadt's Presidential Power to argue that staff growth reflects successive presidents’ search for informat…
Empowering the White House: Governance under Nixon, Ford, and Carter
Agendas, Agencies and Unilateral Action: New Insights on Presidential Power
Howell, William G. Power Without Persuasion: The Politics of Direct Presidential Action. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003. Pp. xx, 239. $45.00 hardbound, $19.95 softbound. Lewis, David E. Presidents and the Politics of Agency Design. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2003. Pp. xiii, 224. $45.00 hardbound. Rudalevige, Andrew. Managing the President's Program: Presidential Leadership and Legislative Policy Formulation. Princet…
Presidents, Responsiveness, and Competence: Revisiting the "Golden Age" at the Bureau of the Budget
MATTHEW J. DICKINSON is an associate professor of political science at Middlebury College. His book, Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch, examines the origins of, and suggests reforms to, the presidential staff. ANDREW RUDALEVIGE is associate professor of political science at Dickinson College and a visiting research scholar at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University. H…
Explaining Increasing Turnover Rates among Presidential Advisers, 1929-1997
The transformation of the presidential electoral process from a party-controlled to a media-driven candidate-centered system has made it increasingly difficult for presidents to meld governing and campaigning expertise within a single White House-centered advisory organization. This is because the skills needed to win office are increasingly divorced from those needed to govern effectively. As presidential priorities shift from campaigning to gov…
The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR
Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs
Journal Article Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs Get access Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs by Kenneth Collier. Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997. 323 pp. Cloth, $50.00; paper, $22.95. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Harvard University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 113, Issu…
The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House, by Shirley Anne Warshaw
Journal Article The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House, by Shirley Anne Warshaw Get access The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House by Shirley Anne Warshaw. Needham Heights, MA, Allyn & Bacon, 1997. 229 pp. Paper, $22.00. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Harvard University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 112, Issue 3, Fall 199…
Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power, and the Growth of the Presidential Branch
Journal Article Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power, and the Growth of the Presidential Branch. By Matthew J. Dickinson. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. x, 267 pp. $49.95, ISBN 0-521-48193-7.) Get access Elliot A. Rosen Elliot A. Rosen Emeritus Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 84, Issue 2, September 1997, Pages 714–7…
Governing, Campaigning, and Organizing the Presidency: An Electoral Connection
KATHRYN DUNN TENPAS is an assistant professor of government at the University of South Florida. She has recently completed the book Presidents as Candidates: Inside the White House for the Presidential Campaign. MATTHEW J. DICKINSON is an assistant professor of government at Harvard University. His book. Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch, analyzes the origins of presidential staff
Reexamining the Growth of the Institutional Presidency, 1940–2000
Scholars differ regarding the reason for the institutionalization of a large, functionally specialized White House-centered presidential staff system during the last six decades. Among the factors cited is a general growth in government size and complexity, increases in the presidential workload, and the institutional rivalry between the president and Congress. However, using new advances in time-series analysis based on fractional integration, w…
We All Want a Revolution: Neustadt, New Institutionalism, and the Future of Presidency Research
The publication of Richard E. Neustadt's “Presidential Power” in 1960 revolutionized presidential studies—a revolution that continues today. Contrary to claims that his book “personalized” presidential studies, thus delaying research progress, scholars' efforts to grapple with Neustadt's teachings inspired some of the subfield's most significant and enduring research agendas. Many of Neustadt's most important insights, however, such as the link b…
Explaining Increasing Turnover Rates among Presidential Advisers, 1929-1997
The transformation of the presidential electoral process from a party-controlled to a media-driven candidate-centered system has made it increasingly difficult for presidents to meld governing and campaigning expertise within a single White House-centered advisory organization. This is because the skills needed to win office are increasingly divorced from those needed to govern effectively. As presidential priorities shift from campaigning to gov…
Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power, and the Growth of the Presidential Branch
Journal Article Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power, and the Growth of the Presidential Branch. By Matthew J. Dickinson. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. x, 267 pp. $49.95, ISBN 0-521-48193-7.) Get access Elliot A. Rosen Elliot A. Rosen Emeritus Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 84, Issue 2, September 1997, Pages 714–7…
Presidents, Responsiveness, and Competence: Revisiting the "Golden Age" at the Bureau of the Budget
MATTHEW J. DICKINSON is an associate professor of political science at Middlebury College. His book, Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch, examines the origins of, and suggests reforms to, the presidential staff. ANDREW RUDALEVIGE is associate professor of political science at Dickinson College and a visiting research scholar at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University. H…
The Limits to Power without Persuasion
Research on executive action often assumes that presidents face an either/or decision between issuing an administrative order and seeking legislation. This premise, however, ignores differing structural characteristics of administrative and legislative policy vehicles. This article will argue that, rather than see administrative actions as equivalent to legislation, presidents understand the distinct advantages and disadvantages each policy instr…
Worked Out in Fractions: Neutral Competence, FDR, and the Bureau of the Budget
Presidents seem to scorn the “neutral competence” political scientists insist they need. Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45), however, evidently embraced this administrative approach–even at a time when the demands for presidential leadership were arguably greater than those experienced by any of his successors. Roosevelt thus offers an important historical test case for both critics and advocates of neutral competence. Focusing specifically on the Bure…
Turnover, Loyalty and Competence in the West Wing: The Trump White House in Historical Context
Pundits and scholars alike point to the high rates of administrative chaos and staff turnover in the Trump White House, but prior research has not been able to pin down the cause(s) empirically. In this paper, we develop a survival model and conduct a Bayesian latent trait analysis to examine the tenure rates of White House aides serving presidents Nixon through Trump. We find that, compared to his presidential predecessors, Trump′s White House s…
Empowering the White House: Governance under Nixon, Ford, and Carter
The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House, by Shirley Anne Warshaw
Journal Article The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House, by Shirley Anne Warshaw Get access The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House by Shirley Anne Warshaw. Needham Heights, MA, Allyn & Bacon, 1997. 229 pp. Paper, $22.00. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Harvard University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 112, Issue 3, Fall 199…
Governing, Campaigning, and Organizing the Presidency: An Electoral Connection
KATHRYN DUNN TENPAS is an assistant professor of government at the University of South Florida. She has recently completed the book Presidents as Candidates: Inside the White House for the Presidential Campaign. MATTHEW J. DICKINSON is an assistant professor of government at Harvard University. His book. Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch, analyzes the origins of presidential staff
Neustadt, New Institutionalism, and Presidential Decision Making: A Theory and Test
The institutionalization of a White House‐centered presidential staff system is often described as a logical response by presidents to increasing leadership demands linked to the post‐World War II growth in government size and complexity. In contrast, I take a supply‐side perspective, using transaction‐cost theory and insights from Richard Neustadt's Presidential Power to argue that staff growth reflects successive presidents’ search for informat…
The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House, by Shirley Anne Warshaw
Journal Article The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House, by Shirley Anne Warshaw Get access The Domestic Presidency: Policy Making in the White House by Shirley Anne Warshaw. Needham Heights, MA, Allyn & Bacon, 1997. 229 pp. Paper, $22.00. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Harvard University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 112, Issue 3, Fall 199…
Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power, and the Growth of the Presidential Branch
Journal Article Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power, and the Growth of the Presidential Branch. By Matthew J. Dickinson. (New York: Cambridge University Press, 1997. x, 267 pp. $49.95, ISBN 0-521-48193-7.) Get access Elliot A. Rosen Elliot A. Rosen Emeritus Rutgers University, Newark, New Jersey Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Journal of American History, Volume 84, Issue 2, September 1997, Pages 714–7…
Governing, Campaigning, and Organizing the Presidency: An Electoral Connection
KATHRYN DUNN TENPAS is an assistant professor of government at the University of South Florida. She has recently completed the book Presidents as Candidates: Inside the White House for the Presidential Campaign. MATTHEW J. DICKINSON is an assistant professor of government at Harvard University. His book. Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch, analyzes the origins of presidential staff
Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs
Journal Article Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs Get access Between the Branches: The White House Office of Legislative Affairs by Kenneth Collier. Pittsburgh, University of Pittsburgh Press, 1997. 323 pp. Cloth, $50.00; paper, $22.95. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Harvard University Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 113, Issu…
The Roosevelt Presence: The Life and Legacy of FDR
Explaining Increasing Turnover Rates among Presidential Advisers, 1929-1997
The transformation of the presidential electoral process from a party-controlled to a media-driven candidate-centered system has made it increasingly difficult for presidents to meld governing and campaigning expertise within a single White House-centered advisory organization. This is because the skills needed to win office are increasingly divorced from those needed to govern effectively. As presidential priorities shift from campaigning to gov…
Empowering the White House: Governance under Nixon, Ford, and Carter
Agendas, Agencies and Unilateral Action: New Insights on Presidential Power
Howell, William G. Power Without Persuasion: The Politics of Direct Presidential Action. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2003. Pp. xx, 239. $45.00 hardbound, $19.95 softbound. Lewis, David E. Presidents and the Politics of Agency Design. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, 2003. Pp. xiii, 224. $45.00 hardbound. Rudalevige, Andrew. Managing the President's Program: Presidential Leadership and Legislative Policy Formulation. Princet…
Presidents, Responsiveness, and Competence: Revisiting the "Golden Age" at the Bureau of the Budget
MATTHEW J. DICKINSON is an associate professor of political science at Middlebury College. His book, Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch, examines the origins of, and suggests reforms to, the presidential staff. ANDREW RUDALEVIGE is associate professor of political science at Dickinson College and a visiting research scholar at the Center for the Study of Democratic Politics at Princeton University. H…
Neustadt, New Institutionalism, and Presidential Decision Making: A Theory and Test
The institutionalization of a White House‐centered presidential staff system is often described as a logical response by presidents to increasing leadership demands linked to the post‐World War II growth in government size and complexity. In contrast, I take a supply‐side perspective, using transaction‐cost theory and insights from Richard Neustadt's Presidential Power to argue that staff growth reflects successive presidents’ search for informat…
Reexamining the Growth of the Institutional Presidency, 1940–2000
Scholars differ regarding the reason for the institutionalization of a large, functionally specialized White House-centered presidential staff system during the last six decades. Among the factors cited is a general growth in government size and complexity, increases in the presidential workload, and the institutional rivalry between the president and Congress. However, using new advances in time-series analysis based on fractional integration, w…
Worked Out in Fractions: Neutral Competence, FDR, and the Bureau of the Budget
Presidents seem to scorn the “neutral competence” political scientists insist they need. Franklin Roosevelt (1933-45), however, evidently embraced this administrative approach–even at a time when the demands for presidential leadership were arguably greater than those experienced by any of his successors. Roosevelt thus offers an important historical test case for both critics and advocates of neutral competence. Focusing specifically on the Bure…
Against the President: Dissent and Decision-Making in the White House: A Historical Perspective by Mark J. White
Journal Article Against the President: Dissent and Decision-Making in the White House: A Historical Perspective by Mark J. White Get access Against the President: Dissent and Decision-Making in the White House: A Historical Perspective by Mark J. White. Chicago, IL, Ivan R. Dee, 2007. 370 pp. $28.95. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Middlebury College Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Scie…
We All Want a Revolution: Neustadt, New Institutionalism, and the Future of Presidency Research
The publication of Richard E. Neustadt's “Presidential Power” in 1960 revolutionized presidential studies—a revolution that continues today. Contrary to claims that his book “personalized” presidential studies, thus delaying research progress, scholars' efforts to grapple with Neustadt's teachings inspired some of the subfield's most significant and enduring research agendas. Many of Neustadt's most important insights, however, such as the link b…
Bitter Harvest: FDR, Presidential Power and the Growth of the Presidential Branch
Nixon's Court: His Challenge to Judicial Liberalism and Its Political Consequences
Journal Article Nixon's Court: His Challenge to Judicial Liberalism and Its Political Consequences Get access Nixon's Court: His Challenge to Judicial Liberalism and Its Political Consequences by Kevin J. McMahon. Chicago, IL, University of Chicago Press. 360 pp. $29.00. Matthew J. Dickinson Matthew J. Dickinson Middlebury College Search for other works by this author on: Oxford Academic Google Scholar Political Science Quarterly, Volume 128, Iss…
The 2012 Presidential Election: Taking the “Fun” Out of Fundamentals
An abstract is not available for this content so a preview has been provided. Please use the Get access link above for information on how to access this content
Presidents and the Dissolution of the Union: Leadership Style from Polk to Lincoln
In his study of the leadership style exhibited by six presidents, James Polk, Zachary Taylor, Millard Fillmore, Franklin Pierce, James Buchanan, and Abraham Lincoln, Fred Greenstein applies the analytic scheme he first unveiled in The Presidential Difference to explain how the decisions that these men made in the critical period 1846–1861 led to the Civil War. Greenstein argues that their actions, beginning with Polk's ill-fated decision to provo…
The Limits to Power without Persuasion
Research on executive action often assumes that presidents face an either/or decision between issuing an administrative order and seeking legislation. This premise, however, ignores differing structural characteristics of administrative and legislative policy vehicles. This article will argue that, rather than see administrative actions as equivalent to legislation, presidents understand the distinct advantages and disadvantages each policy instr…
Relic: How Our Constitution Undermines Effective Government—and Why We Need a More Powerful Presidency
As the book’s title indicates, William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe believe that the Constitution was drafted for purposes more appropriate for a bygone era and that today it prevents the political system from addressing pressing national problems. In making this claim, the authors try to distinguish their argument from contemporary critiques of the political system that focus on a polarized Congress, a faulty electoral system, a divided public, or…
Democracy's Disparity? Gender, Equality, and the 2020 Iowa Caucuses
Turnover, Loyalty and Competence in the West Wing: The Trump White House in Historical Context
Pundits and scholars alike point to the high rates of administrative chaos and staff turnover in the Trump White House, but prior research has not been able to pin down the cause(s) empirically. In this paper, we develop a survival model and conduct a Bayesian latent trait analysis to examine the tenure rates of White House aides serving presidents Nixon through Trump. We find that, compared to his presidential predecessors, Trump′s White House s…
Law (22 works) · Political science (22 works) · Politics (21 works) · Law (18 works) · Presidential system (16 works) · Public Administration (13 works) · American Constitutional Law and Politics (11 works) · Electoral Systems and Political Participation (11 works) · Public Administration (10 works) · Presidency (9 works)