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The Presidency

Jeffrey Cohen, Fordham University - Bronx
David Nice, Washington State University - Pullman

Presidential Domestic Policy

End of Chapter Questions


1		What is the president’s agenda? What the sources of items for the president’s agenda? How much of the president’s agenda is under his direct control and how much is forced upon him? What are some examples of presidents who were able to control their agenda? What are some examples of presidents who were less able to control what was on their agendas?



2		How does the president establish the priorities that make up his agenda? How much control does the president have over what will be his top policy priorities? How much influence do outside factors have in making some issues high priorities?



3		What are the president’s goals in deciding which policies to pursue and make high priorities? Does each president have the same goals? Compare what you think the goals of several presidents were. If their goals were changed to other goals, would they have different policy priorities?



4		How do advisers affect the president’s agenda? What are the major sources of division or conflict among advisers over what to include in the president’s agenda and what policy solutions to follow once the agenda items are selected?



5		Describe the major ways of organizing the president’s staff. What are the benefits and the costs of using one system over another? Is there a best way to organize the president’s staff?



6		How do the cycles of increasing effectiveness and decreasing resources affect presidential policy making? How do these cycles affect the quality of effectiveness of the policies of the government? Is there any way to break these cycles?



7		Discuss the conditions under which the president serves as a major engine of policy change. How do presidential mandates affect how ambitious the president’s agenda will be? What other factors affect the ambition and innovativeness of the president’s policy agenda?

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