Beyond Beyle

The subject of studying the institutional powers of
state governors has largely been expressed on a
macro level. Scholars have focused on obtaining a
measurement of overall gubernatorial powers, often
overlooking the quality of the individual
measurements that make up their cumulative index.
The most recognized method for measuring the formal
and informal powers of state governors was created
by Joseph A. Schlesinger and continued by Thad
Beyle, who introduced the concept of temporal
updates. This study reviews and reworks the Beyle
scales in an effort to identify differences
between states in terms of their individual powers.
By identifying constitutional and statutory
differences among states, revised scales and scores
are suggested to improve the validity of measuring
the individual powers. The study performs a time-
series comparison between the Beyle and Reisinger
scales to investigate how the matrices track changes
over time. Finally, by fitting the new scales into
an existing framework for gubernatorial policy
success, it becomes possible to predict the policy
outcomes of gubernatorial legislative proposals.

Autorentext

Tyler Reisinger earned his MA in Political Science from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in 2008.The author lives in Ashburn, VA with his wife Lindsey and two dogs Cooper and Bentley

Klappentext

The subject of studying the institutional powers of state governors has largely been expressed on a macro level. Scholars have focused on obtaining a measurement of overall gubernatorial powers, often overlooking the quality of the individual measurements that make up their cumulative index. The most recognized method for measuring the formal and informal powers of state governors was created by Joseph A. Schlesinger and continued by Thad Beyle, who introduced the concept of temporal updates. This study reviews and reworks the Beyle scales in an effort to identify differences between states in terms of their individual powers. By identifying constitutional and statutory differences among states, revised scales and scores are suggested to improve the validity of measuring the individual powers. The study performs a time-series comparison between the Beyle and Reisinger scales to investigate how the matrices track changes over time. Finally, by fitting the new scales into an existing framework for gubernatorial policy success, it becomes possible to predict the policy outcomes of gubernatorial legislative proposals.