The politician's province

Howell, William G. and Wolton, Stephane ORCID: 0000-0003-1405-650X (2018) The politician's province. Quarterly Journal of Political Science, 13 (2). pp. 119-146. ISSN 1554-0626

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Abstract

Politicians, especially executives, regularly seek to project their influence into new policy domains. In some instances, they do so only after having secured the requisite statutory authority; in others, they intervene without prior authorization, hoping that their actions henceforth serve as precedent for future policy involvement. To investigate the conditions under which politicians pursue one strategy versus another, we study a stylized model of authority acquisition that recognizes the electoral pressures under which executives operate. We show that politicians seek authority that is both more secure and broader in scope as the public support for their policy position increases even if- indeed, precisely because|their opponent stands to benefit from this authority if elected to office. Far from tying their opponents' hands, as a number of literatures suggests, incumbents have electoral incentives to liberate them.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	https://www.nowpublishers.com/QJPS
Additional Information:	© 2018 now publishers inc.
Divisions:	Government
Subjects:	J Political Science > JA Political science (General)
Date Deposited:	14 Mar 2018 09:26
Last Modified:	01 Nov 2024 04:15
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/87203

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