Policymaking by the Executive: Examining the Fate of Presidential Agenda Items

Abstract

Politicians routinely campaign on a large platform of new policies and policy changes they hope to pursue once in office. Presidents, however, are unique in their ability to accomplish this given the multiple avenues by which they can enact policy change. Using each presidential agenda between 1964 and 2010, we evaluate the circumstances under which a president’s policy goal is realized via an executive order or a law passed by Congress. Previous studies have only considered these avenues independently, but when we consider them in concert with one another, new patterns emerge. Our results indicate that a president’s proposal is most commonly addressed in tandem with Congress through the traditional legislative process. However, the level of polarization, presidential approval, the composition of government, and the type of issue being addressed increase the probability of a proposal being addressed unilaterally via executive order rather than by passing a law.