Gubernatorial Power in the Face of War:
Applying Beyle's Scale of Gubernatorial Power
to Study Possible Effects of the Civil War and Reconstruction
on Executive Power in the South
Jane Doe
29 October 2011
Background:
The United States' system of federalism has a long and storied history. Perhaps now more than
ever, attention is focusing on the states and the particular role they and their governors play in conflicts
of executive power and national policymaking. Often, governors can use their personal and institutional
powers in order to influence or make national policy – both for their states and for themselves.
Recently, Texas governor Rick Perry attracted national attention for his comments suggesting a
possible secession from the union (Texas Politics 2009). On October 14, 2010, Judge Roger Vinson of
the Northern District Court of Florida ruled that a lawsuit contesting the constitutionality of the
healthcare reform bill, brought by a coalition that included four state governors, could proceed
(McQuillen 2010). The Republican Governor's Association (RGA), a so-called “527” organization,
founded in 1963, has gained prominence as well as considerable policy influence and is poised to play
a major role in the projected 2010 Republican sweep. Bloomberg Businessweek reports that “The
group has raised $58 million between Jan. 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, compared with $40 million for
the Democratic Governors Association . . . Both groups say the amounts are records” (Salant 2010).
The RGA and DGA are relevant to another implication of gubernatorial power, the rise to national
power: “Not only can gubernatorial policy and program innovations move on to other states and the
national scene, but the governors behind these innovations can also continue their political and
governmental careers on the national scene as well” (Beyle 1988, 134).
Whether they are acting from the position as advocate for individual states or acting on their
own in the national political scene, state governors can be extremely relevant beyond simply their own
states. However, not all governors are equal; with all the social and political factors at play, it is often
difficult to isolate reality among the perceptions. In order to adequately understand gubernatorial
power, it is useful to identify elements of power and develop a formal scale to measure variance in the
allocation of executive power by state constitutions.
In 1965, Schlesinger introduced his “Index of the Formal Powers of the Governors”; in 1968,
Thad Beyle updated this index, focusing on institutional and personal powers (Beyle 1968, 541). In
1983, Beyle again suggested several updates to the scale, namely, five main components of formal
power (Grey, Jacob, and Vines, eds., 1983, 180-221). The scale measures institutional powers across
several dimensions. He questions the electoral independence, the tenure potential, the appointment
powers, the budget powers, and the veto power of the executive. He also examines the partisan control
of the state government. Further, he measures the personal power of the executive according to the
following elements: whether the governor enjoys an electoral mandate, what the governor's position is
on the state's ambition ladder, what the personal future of the governor is, and what the governor's job
performance rating is in opinion polls (Beyle 2010). Although the scale has been criticized (Dometrius
1987, 319-328), it is still widely used to determine gubernatorial power. However, one area that
warrants closer attention is the topic of regional differences, particularly in light of one of the most
staggering shifts of power in the United States' history: the Civil War and Reconstruction. Are there real
power differences between Southern and Northern states, or is this area dependant on perception alone?
Are power disparities a matter of coincidence, or can inequalities be traced back to Reconstruction?
Research Question Presented:
Are there common disparities in powers allocated to Southern gubernatorial offices, and can
these differences in power be seen as a result of the events of Reconstruction? Is there a significant, real
power difference between Northern States’ gubernatorial power and power among the eleven Southern
states which formed the Confederacy, in terms of Beyle's scale? Is there a statistically-significant
correlation and/or causation between Reconstruction and the contemporary disparities (both perceived
and real) in gubernatorial power among the eleven Southern states, and how has this correlation/
causation carried through into actual policy?
Research Methods:
Using Beyle's scale and its raw data as a quantitative measure, I will examine the current
dispersion of power in order to isolate any geographical commonalities. Then, I will study the events
during and after Reconstruction on a macro and micro scale; my macro study will include the state
constitutions for the 11 Southern states and track any changes after Reconstruction; my micro analysis
will include several in-depth case studies from representative Southern states including Mississippi.
Additionally, I hope to include, if possible, several brief, personal interviews with Southern governors.
Using this study, I will attempt to isolate any statistically-significant correlation/causation between
Reconstruction and any geographical gubernatorial power disparities; I will utilize personal interviews,
current events, and Beyle's scale of personal powers in order to qualitatively examine the common
perceptions about and the policy of the Southern governors, in light of my qualitative findings, in order
to better understand the real-world, contemporary implications of Southern gubernatorial power.
References
Beyle, Thad L. “Gubernatorial Power: The Institutional Power Ratings for the 50 Governors of the
United States. University of North Carolina. Last modified July 2008; accessed 10 October
2010. http://www.unc.edu/~beyle/gubnewpwr.html.
Beyle, Thad L. 1983. “Governors.” In Virginia Gray, Herbert Jacob, and Kenneth Vines, eds., Politics
in the American States. 4th Ed. 180-221. Boston: Little, Brown.
Beyle, Thad L. 1987. “The Governor as Innovator in the Federal System.” The State of American
Federalism. 18. 3: 131-152.
Beyle, Thad L. 1968. “The Governor's Formal Powers: A View from the Governor's Chair.” Public
Administration Review. 28. 6: 540-545.
Dilger, Robert J., Krause, George A., and Randolph R. Moffett. “State Legislative Professionalism and
Gubernatorial Effectiveness, 1978—1991.” Legislative Studies Quarterly. 20, 4: 553-571.
Dometrius, Nelson C. 1987. “Changing Gubernatorial Power: The Measure Vs. Reality.” Political
Research Quarterly. 40: 319-328.
McQuillen, William. Bloomberg News. "Health Care Constitutionality Ruling to Come by Year-End,
U.S. Judge Says." Last modified 18 October 2010; accessed 20 October 2010. http://www.blo
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Salant, Jonathan D. Bloomberg Businessweek. "Republicans See Gains in Governors’ Races as
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Anticipated References and Research Sources
Arkansas History Commission. Ark-ives.com. Last modified 2010; accessed 10 October 2010. http://
www.ark-ives.com/.
Florida Department of State. “State Archives of Florida.” Last modified 2010; accessed 10 October
2010. http://dlis.dos.state.fl.us/index_researchers.cfm.
Harris, William C. 1979. The Day of the Carpetbagger: Republican Reconstruction in Mississippi.
Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press.
Louisiana Secretary of State. “Historical Records Advisory.” Last modified 2010; accessed 10 October
2010. http://www.sos.louisiana.gov/tabid/80/default.aspx.
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10 October 2010. http://mdah.state.ms.us/arrec/index.php.
North Carolina Office of Archives and History. Last modified 2010; accessed 10 October 2010.
http://www.history.ncdcr.gov/.
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October 2010. http://www.archives.state.al.us/.
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.ms.us/arrec/index.php.
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State of South Carolina. "SC Department of Archives and History." Last modified 2010; accessed 10
October 2010. http://scdah.sc.gov/.
State of Texas. "About Texas: Texas State Library and Archives Commission." [Updated 2010; cited 10
October 2010]. Available from http://www.tsl.state.tx.us/ref/abouttx/.
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10 October 2010. http://tn.gov/tsla/Collections.htm.
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