When presidents or prime ministers make law by decree, are we witnessing the usurpation of legislative authority? The increased frequency of policy-making by decree, in older democracies as well as in the newer regimes of Latin America and the post-communist world, has generated concern that legislatures are being marginalized and thus that democratic institutions are not functioning. Professors Carey and Shugart suggest which elements of constitutional design should (and should not) foster reliance on decree authority. Individual chapters then bring the experiences of Argentina, Brazil, France, Italy, Peru, Russia, the United States, and Venezuela to bear on the theory. The book combines broadly comparative analysis with intensive case studies to provide a more thorough understanding of the scope of executive authority across countries.

"This important book is well worth the attention of comparativists and should serve as a guide to further endeavours in the field of executive-legislative relations." William M. Downs, Canadian Journal of Political Science

"This intriguing book provides useful conceptual tools for analyzing presidential decree authority...Executive Decree Authority will be helpful both as a handbook that will inform the literature on the different practices of executive decree authority in various presidential democracies and as a work that provides a more nuanced analysis of the subject." Latin American Research Review

"This important book is well worth the attention of comparativists and should serve as a guide to further endeavours in the field of executive-legislative relations." William M. Downs, Canadian Journal of Political Science