Does being good at foreign policy make presidents worse domestically? This analysis examines U.S. presidencies from 1953 to 2001, finding that effective international performance often comes with trade-offs for domestic legislative success.
### Data & Methods
Researchers analyzed presidential approval ratings and major foreign policy initiatives against key legislative outputs like bills signed into law or votes on significant bills.
### Key Findings
• Presidents excelling in foreign policy saw reduced descriptive representation scores at home. • This pattern held across various administrations despite different political contexts. • The "competency cost" appears substantial enough to impact overall presidential effectiveness.
### Why It Matters
These findings complicate our understanding of how presidents should balance international and domestic responsibilities.
| Competency Costs in Foreign Affairs: Presidential Performance in International Conflicts and Domestic Legislative Success, 1953-2001 was authored by Christopher Gelpi and Joseph Grieco. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2015. |
