The Modern Presidency and Theories of Accountability
Old Wine and Old Bottles
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6182748 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Bert A Rockman (University of Pittsburgh, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1986 |
| Volume | 13 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 135-156 |
| Publication date | 1986-09-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Congress & the Presidency (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0734-3469 • E-ISSN: 1944-1053 |
| Publisher | Informa UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1080/07343468609507970 |
| OpenAlex | W2517384902 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 3 |
| References cited | 31 |
The question this article poses is "how accountable is the modern presidency?" That question begets others such as "to whom are presidents accountable?" and "on what matters are presidents held to account?" The article attempts to clarify the concept of accountability and to identify several of its dimensions. It also relates the idea of accountability to other notions important to a theory of the modern presidency such as "responsibility." The concept of presidential accountability is defined here simply as "being answerable." That simple definition is viewed from the perspective of constitutional logic and from the perspective of various forms and sources of accountability such as a priori checks and a posteriori sanctions, as well as legal, institutional, political and moral sources of accountability. An assessment of the state of accountability in the modern presidency leads me to emphasize the political sources of accountability, especially its plebiscitory dimensions, and its continuous (a posteriori) forms. Ironically, the institution that Hamilton wanted to immunize from mass tastes now embodies their most direct expression. Whatever the problems of the modern presidency are, I conclude, accountability is among the least of them
Accountability · Law and economics · Political science · Politics · Presidency · Presidential system · Sanctions · Sociology · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Fiscal Policies and Political Economy · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law
Congress Oversees the Bureaucracy
The Political Business Cycle
An economic theory of democracy
Power and the Monopoly of Information
A Preface to Democratic Theory, Expanded Edition
Political Control of the Economy
The presidency and the political system
Bureaucratic Justice
Congress, The Electoral Connection
Congress
Bureaucratic Justice
The Deadlock of Democracy
The Leadership Question
Planning a Tragedy
The Congress and America's Future
The Framework of Administrative Responsibility
Administrative Responsibility in Democratic Government
Power and Administration
On the Making of Unpopular Decisions
Princes, Parliaments and the Public Service
Comparative Economic Voting
Presidential Cabinet Making
Changes in Congressional Oversight
To Form a Government
| Unique citing works | 3 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,08 |
| Citation span | 1988 - 1992 (5) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 3 |