Fixing democracy: how power asymmetries help explain presidential powers in new constitutions, evidence from Latin America
In: Oxford scholarship online
In: Political Science
This work explores the origins of presidential powers in new constitutions. Much is known about the effects of different presidential powers-less on the conditions that lead to their emergence. The text focuses on the origins of these powers. It argues that the most important predictor of whether a new constitution will expand (instead of restrict) presidential powers is power asymmetry, or more specifically, the difference in power assets between the Incumbent and the Opposition