Gubernatorial Unilateralism and Natural Disasters

• In Event: The Use of Unilateral Powers

Abstract

Scholars, policymakers, and thinkers in American politics have long been interested in the interaction of crises and executive power, dating all the way back to the Federalist Papers. However, many studies in this area of inquiry focus on war and national security threats, and usually only examine executive power at the national level. I seek to fill these gaps in part by focusing on a relatively understudied type of crisis—natural disasters. And because this is an area where governors often play a critical role, I also undertake my analyses at the state level. Using a dataset of executive orders issued by governors between 1990 and 2020, I examine whether natural disasters lead to an increase in the use of unilateral authority at the state level. I then inquire whether any increase in executive action is in direct response to the natural disaster, or whether natural disasters may lead to broader expansions of executive authority.

Author

• Aaron Childree, Cornell University