Academic Articles

Academic Articles

  1. “The Filibuster and Legislative Discussion.” Journal of Politics, forthcoming. (with S. Fu).
  2. “Presidents, Congress, and the Politics of Unilateral Action.” Forthcoming, in S. Theriault (ed.), Disruption? The Senate During the Trump Era. (with T. Moe).
  3. “Executive Absolutism: The Dynamics of Authority Acquisition in a System of Separated Powers.” Quarterly Journal of Political Science. 18(2): 243-275. 2023. (with K. Shepsle and S. Wolton)
  4. “Updating amidst Disagreement: New Experimental Evidence on Partisan Cues.” Public Opinion Quarterly. 87(1): 24-43. 2023. (with A. Fowler)
  5. “The Strongman Presidency and the Two Logics of Presidential Power.” Presidential Studies Quarterly. 53(2): 1-24. 2023. (with T. Moe)
  6. “America’s Crisis of Democracy.” Political Science Quarterly. 136(1): 105-127. 2021. (with T. Moe)
  7. “Political Scandal: A Theory.” American Journal of Political Science. 65(1): 197-209. 2021. (with W. Dziuda)
  8. “Political Conflict over Time.” American Journal of Political Science. 64(3): 554-568. 2020. (with S. Krasa and M. Polborn)
  9. “Financial Incentives in Vertical Diffusion: How Obama’s Race to the Top Initiative Refashioned State Policymaking.” State Politics and Policy Quarterly. 20(2): 185-212. 2020. (with A. Magazinnik)
  10. “Rethinking Presidential Appeals: Performance, Public Opinion, and Donald J. Trump.” Journal of Political Institutions and Political Economy. 1(1): 137-158. 2020. (with E. Porter and T. Wood)
  11. “The Behavioral Consequences of Public Appeals: Evidence on Campaign Fundraising from the 2018 Congressional Elections.” Presidential Studies Quarterly. 50(2): 325-347. 2020. (with F. Shu)
  12. “The Politician’s Province.” Quarterly Journal of Political Science. 13(2): 119-46. 2018. (with S. Wolton)
  13. “Leadership: A Definition.” In J. Jenkins and C. Volden (eds.), Leadership in American Politics. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 243-66. 2018. (with S. Wolton)
  14. “Presidential Prescriptions for State Policy: Obama’s Race to the Top Initiative.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 36(3): 502-531. 2017. (with A. Magazinnik)
  15. “Distributive Politics and Legislator Ideology.” Journal of Politics. 78(1): 214-231. 2016. (with D. Alexander and C. Berry)
  16. “Voting For The President: The Supreme Court During War.” Journal of Law, Economics, and Organization. 30(1): 39-71. 2014. (with F. Ahmed)
  17. “Interbranch Negotiations over Policies with Multiple Outcomes.” American Journal of Political Science. 57(4): 956-970. 2013. (with S. Jackman)
  18. “Political Elites and Public Support for War.” In L. Dodd and B. Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered, Vol. 10. Congressional Quarterly Press. 2013. (with D. Kriner)
  19. “War, the Presidency, and Legislative Voting Behavior.” American Journal of Political Science. 57(1): 150-166. 2013. (with J. Rogowski)
  20. “The Wartime President: Insights, Lessons, and Opportunities for Continued Investigation.” Presidential Studies Quarterly. 42(4): 791-810. 2012. (with S. Jackman, and J. Rogowski)
  21. “Presidential Power in War.” Annual Review of Political Science. 14: 89-105. 2011.
  22. “A Restoration of Balance? A Critical Examination of the Proposed War Powers Consultation Act.” In D. Dunn, The Presidency in the 21st Century. University Press of Kentucky. 2011.
  23. “The President and the Distribution of Federal Spending.” American Political Science Review. 104(4): 783-99. 2011. (with C. Berry and B. Burden)
  24. “After Enactment: The Lives and Deaths of Federal Programs.” American Journal of Political Science. 54(1): 1-17. 2010. (with C. Berry and B. Burden)
  25. “Wartime Judgments of Presidential Power: Striking Down but Not Back.” Minnesota Law Review. 93(5): 1778-1819. 2009.
  26. “Quantitative Approaches to Studying the Presidency.” In G. Edwards and W. Howell (eds), Handbook of the American Presidency. Oxford University Press. 2009.
  27. “War’s Contributions to Presidential Power.” In G. Edwards and W. Howell (eds), Handbook of the American Presidency. Oxford University Press. 2009. (with T. Johnson)
  28. “Congress, the President, and the Iraq War’s Domestic Political Front.” In L. Dodd and B. Oppenheimer, Congress Reconsidered, Vol. 9. Congressional Quarterly Press. 2009. (with D. Kriner)
  29. “Executive Influence in Foreign versus Domestic Policy Making: Toward a Broader Understanding of Presidential Power.” Journal of Politics. 70(1): 1-16. 2008. (with B. Canes-Wrone and D. Lewis)
  30. “Education Policy, Academic Research, and Public Opinion.” In F. Hess (ed), When Research Matters: How Scholarship Influences Education Policy. Harvard Education Press. 2008.
  31. “Accountability and Local Elections: Rethinking Retrospective Voting.” Journal of Politics. 69(3): 844-858. 2007. (with C. Berry)
  32. “Bending So as Not to Break: What the Bush Presidency Reveals about the Politics of Unilateral Action.” In G. Edwards and D. King (eds), The Polarized Presidency of George W. Bush. Oxford University Press. 2007. (with D. Kriner)
  33. “Power without Persuasion: Identifying Executive Influence.” In B. Rockman and R. Waterman (eds), Presidential Leadership: The Vortex of Power. Oxford University Press. 2007. (with D. Kriner)
  34. “Executives: The American Presidency.” In S. Binder, R. Rhodes, and B. Rockman (eds), Handbook of Political Institutions. Oxford University Press. 2006. An updated version of this essay appeared as: Howell, W. 2009. “Quantitative Approaches to Studying the Presidency.” In G. Edwards and W. Howell (eds), Handbook of the American Presidency. Oxford University Press.
  35. “Switching Schools? A Closer Look at Parents’ Initial Interest in and Knowledge About the Choice Provisions of No Child Left Behind.” Peabody Journal of Education. 81(1): 140-179. 2006. Modified version also published as Pioneer Institute for Public Policy Research White Paper No. 22, November 2004.
  36. “Presidents, Congress, and the Use of Force.” International Organization. 59(1): 209-232. 2005. (J. Pevehouse)
  37. “Unilateral Powers: A Brief Overview.” Presidential Studies Quarterly. 35(3): 417-439. 2005.
  38. “The Last 100 Days.” Presidential Studies Quarterly. 35(3): 533-553. 2005. (with K. Mayer)
  39. “Power without Persuasion: Rethinking Foundations of Executive Influence.” In G. Edwards (ed), Readings on Presidential Politics. Wadsworth Press. 2005.
  40. “Separation of Powers and the Use of Military Force.” In A. Mintz and B. Russet (eds), New Directions for International Relations. Lexington Press. 2005. (with J. Pevehouse)
  41. “Accountability in Public Education.” In W. Howell (editor), Besieged: School Boards and the Future of Education Politics. Brookings Institution Press. 2005. (with C. Berry)
  42. “Dynamic Selection Effects in Urban, Means-Tested School Voucher Programs.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 22(3): 225-250. 2004.
  43. “Uses of Theory in Randomized Field Trials: Lessons from School Voucher Research on Disaggregation, Missing Data, and the Generalization of Findings.” The American Behavioral Scientist. 47(5): 634-657. 2004. (with P. Peterson)
  44. “Efficiency, Bias, and Classification Schemes: Estimating Private-School Impacts on Test Scores in the New York City Voucher Experiment.” The American Behavioral Scientist. 47(5): 699-717. 2004. (with P. Peterson)
  45. “Thunderous Clouds, No Rain: NCLB in Worcester, Massachusetts.” In F. Hess and C. Finn (eds.), Leaving No Child Behind? Options for Kids in Failing Schools. Palgrave Macmillan. 2004.
  46. “Parents, Choice, and the Future of NCLB.” In F. Hess and C. Finn (eds.), Leaving No Child Behind? Options for Kids in Failing Schools. Palgrave Macmillan. 2004.
  47. “School Vouchers: Results from Randomized Experiments.” In C. Hoxby (ed.), The Economic Analysis of School Choice, University of Chicago Press. 2003. (with P. Peterson, P. Wolf, and D. Campbell)
  48. “Agencies by Presidential Design.” Journal of Politics. 64(4): 1095-1114. 2002. (with D. Lewis)
  49. “School Vouchers and Academic Performance: Results from Three Randomized Field Trials.” Journal of Policy Analysis and Management. 21(2): 191-218. 2002. (with P. Wolf, D. Campbell, and P. Peterson)
  50. “Exploring Explanations for Ethnic Differences of Vouchers on Student Test Scores.” In T. Loveless and J. Chubb (eds.), Bridging the Achievement Gap, Brookings Institution Press. 2002. (with P. Peterson)
  51. “School Vouchers’ Impact on Student Achievement.” In P. Peterson and D. Campbell (eds.), Charter Schools, Vouchers, and Public Education, Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. 2001. (with P. Wolf, P. Peterson, and D. Campbell)
  52. “Divided Government and the Legislative Productivity of Congress, 1945-1994.” Legislative Studies Quarterly. 25(2): 285-312. 2000. (with S. Adler, C. Cameron, and C. Riemann)
  53. “When Low-Income Students Move from Public to Private Schools.” In D. Ravitch and J. Viteritti (eds.), City Schools: Lessons from New York, Johns Hopkins University Press. 2000. (with P. Peterson)
  54. “A Theory of Unilateral Action.” Presidential Studies Quarterly. 29(4): 850-871. 1999. (with T. Moe)
  55. “The Presidential Power of Unilateral Action.” Journal of Law, Economics and Organizations. 15(1): 132-179. 1999. (with T. Moe)
  56. “The Effects of School Choice in New York City.” In S. Mayer and P. Peterson (eds.), Earning and Learning: How Schools Matter, Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. 1999. (with P. Peterson, D. Myers, and D. Mayer)
  57. “The Politics of Race: The Nature of Public Argument.” In D. Sears, L. Bobo and J. Sidanius (eds.), Racialized Politics: Values, Ideology, and Prejudice in American Public Opinion, University of Chicago Press. 1999. (with P. Sniderman and G. Crosby)
  58. “A Test of Alternative Interpretations of the Contemporary Politics of Race: A Critical Examination of Divided by Color.” Revue Frančaise de Science Politique. 49(2): 265-293. 1999. (with P. Sniderman, E. Carmines and W. Morgan)
  59. “Lessons from the Cleveland Scholarship Program.” In P. Peterson and B. Hassel (eds.), Learning from School Choice, Washington D.C.: Brookings Institution Press. 1998. (with J. Greene and P. Peterson)
  60. “The Career Beliefs of Homeless Veterans: Vocational Attitudes as Indicators of Employability.” Journal of Career Assessment. 5(1): 47-59. 1997. (with H. Porat and G. Marshall)