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The Missing Element: Examining the Loyalty‐Competence Nexus in Presidential Appointments
Author(s) -
Ouyang Yu,
Haglund Evan T.,
Waterman Richard W.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
presidential studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.337
H-Index - 5
eISSN - 1741-5705
pISSN - 0360-4918
DOI - 10.1111/psq.12346
Subject(s) - loyalty , competence (human resources) , presidential system , political science , public relations , sociology , social psychology , psychology , law , politics
What distinguishes a loyal appointee from a competent one? Applying novel methodological tools to a unique data set of 3,366 resumes of individuals appointed by Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama across 51 different federal institutions, we (1) provide an operational definition of loyalty and competence and (2) demonstrate that there are subdimensions of loyalty and competence. We also provide initial insights into how George W. Bush and Barack Obama employed the various subdimensions of competence and loyalty. Our most important contribution is to provide the missing element in principal–agent models and presidential appointment power, by identifying the background characteristics and subdimensions of loyalty and competence.