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The Presidency

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

The Presidency as an Institution

End of Chapter Questions


1		Compare the presidential staff system before and after the establishment of the EOP. In what ways has the presidential staffing system changed with the creation of the EOP?



2		In what ways was the Brownlow report a blueprint for the development of the EOP and the modern presidential staff? In what ways was it not a blueprint? What accounts for why some of the ideas and recommendations of the Brownlow report were not implemented or had little impact on the development of the president’s staff?



3		What is an institution? In what ways is the EOP institutionalized? In what ways is it not well institutionalized? What accounts for the lack of institutionalization of the EOP?



4		What role does the chief of staff play in the modern White House? Why do all presidents now need a chief of staff and cannot assume that role for themselves?



5		How has the vice presidency evolved in recent decades? Why has the office taken on more responsibility? How has the greater role of the vice presidency affected the relationship between the president and the vice president?



6		How and why is the first lady’s role different now from what it had been in the past? Which first ladies have had the greatest impact on the role of the first lady? In what ways can we say that an Office of the First Lady now exists? Is that office becoming an institution? What do these developments tell us about modern American politics?



7		Is the EOP too powerful? What are the implications for government and representative democracy of having a strong Executive Office of the President? What, if anything, can and should we do about the EOP?

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