Article

The Managing of the Presidency: Applying Theory-Driven Empirical Models to the Study of White House Bureaucratic Performance

Authors

Justin Vaughn, Cleveland State University
José VillalobosFollow

Publication Date

January 2009

Journal/Book Title/Conference

Political Research Quarterly

Volume

62

Issue

1

Abstract

We argue that scholars of the presidency should begin to apply their rich descriptive understanding of White House organization and personnel to questions of causality. To help guide this effort, we offer a theory-driven empirical model that explains organizational performance. Importing theory from the public management literature, we show how scholars can use the Meier-O'Toole (MO) model to explain performance outcomes and dynamics for key political and policy functions within the institutional presidency. We introduce the MO model and discuss its potential impact on the field of presidency studies.

Publisher Statement

Copyright © 2013 by University of Utah and SAGE Publications. Link: http://prq.sagepub.com/content/62/1/158.abstract