Department or Program
Politics
Abstract
The theory of the unitary executive – a constitutional idea that considers expansive presidential authority to be rooted within the text of Article II of the Constitution – has gained considerable traction among constitutional scholars and government actors in the years since Reagan’s presidency. To account for this growing support for the idea, I propose and elaborate upon a developmental theory of how ideas about constitutional meaning change over time. More specifically, insights from relevant scholarship are utilized to build out a framework to trace how an idea becomes a plausible reading of the Constitution. The theory attends both to the distinct arenas or domains in which an idea is discussed, promoted, and acted upon as well as how the idea itself develops new definitions over time. I demonstrate these dynamics and processes, with particular attention to relevant ideational and political entrepreneurs, through a case study of the theory of the unitary executive. The thesis discusses how the idea of a unitary executive has gained support and exposure within four distinct domains – legal academia, public-facing media, the executive branch, and the judiciary – as well as how the idea’s meaning changed over the course of two generational waves. Ultimately, I suggest that in order for an idea to gain traction as a plausible reading of the Constitution, it must be situated within a habitable environment, or be able to remain salient within all four of the aforementioned domains.
Level of Access
Open Access
First Advisor
Engel, Stephen
Date of Graduation
5-2025
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Recommended Citation
Beck, Isabel, "A President or a Prince? Tracing the Development of Unitary Executive Theory" (2025). Honors Theses. 478.
https://scarab.bates.edu/honorstheses/478
Number of Pages
199
Components of Thesis
1 PDF file.
