Who Is Responsible, the Incumbent or the Former President? Motivated Reasoning in Responsibility Attributions
Category of Work
Article
Publication Title
Presidential Studies Quarterly
Abstract
This article establishes that transitions of power from one presidential administration to the next can act as a source of uncertainty regarding whom citizens view as responsible for national conditions. I argue that citizens confront this ambiguity in a partisan manner when making responsibility attributions of credit and blame. Using the economy and the Iraq War as examples, ordinary partisans frequently ascribe responsibility using motivated reasoning by crediting the president of their own political party for perceived successes and blaming the president of the opposite party for perceived failures.
First Page
110
Last Page
131
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1111/psq.12173
Publication Date
2-10-2015
Recommended Citation
Nawara, Steven, "Who Is Responsible, the Incumbent or the Former President? Motivated Reasoning in Responsibility Attributions" (2015). Political Science Department Faculty Articles. 6.
https://digitalcommons.lewisu.edu/politicalscience_facpubs/6
