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Donald Trump and Institutional Change Strategies

Author

Listed:
  • Jordan T. Cash

    (Program on Constitutionalism and Democracy, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA)

  • Dave Bridge

    (Department of Political Science, Baylor University, Waco, TX 76798, USA)

Abstract

This article integrates three fields of study: the “regime politics” paradigm in law and courts, the “institutional change” approach in public policy, and the “unilateral presidency” literature. In doing so, we show how law, politics, and public policy are inextricably linked, and that researchers can borrow assumptions, methods, and theories from a variety of fields. We use Donald Trump’s early presidency to show how political actors (especially presidents) can use four different change strategies. In the case of Trump, we highlight: shifting of decision-making authority via insurrectionary displacement; the elimination of the individual mandate via subversive layering; a change in drone use policy via opportunistic conversion; and a gradual desensitization and change in school choice education policy via symbiotic drift. We conclude by offering lessons for all three literatures we incorporate, as well as a way forward for studying a presidential administration that many find difficult to analyze.

Suggested Citation

  • Jordan T. Cash & Dave Bridge, 2018. "Donald Trump and Institutional Change Strategies," Laws, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-21, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlawss:v:7:y:2018:i:3:p:27-:d:156635
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    References listed on IDEAS

    as
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    4. Cornell W Clayton & J. Mitchell Pickerill, 2004. "Guess What Happened on the Way to Revolution? Precursors to the Supreme Court's Federalism Revolution," Publius: The Journal of Federalism, CSF Associates Inc., vol. 34(3), pages 85-114, Summer.
    5. Rocco, Philip & Thurston, Chloe, 2014. "From metaphors to measures: observable indicators of gradual institutional change," Journal of Public Policy, Cambridge University Press, vol. 34(1), pages 35-62, April.
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