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Executive-Legislative Power Relationships

Perspectives of State Lawmakers

University of North Carolina—Greensboro

Charles W. Wiggins

Texas A & M University

The governor of a state is often seen as the "chief legislator" running rough shod over a helpless legislature. The current research sought to determine if legislators thought there was an imbalance of power between the chief executive and the legislature. The data were gathered from a mail survey of state senators in eleven diverse states. Surprisingly, there was widespread agreement that there was an acceptable balance of power between the legislature and the governor. Selected political and institutional variables were used in an attempt to explain the variations in perceptions but with virtually no success. Our analysis was also unable to detect any single reason for legislators responding as they did. Finally, we conclude that if lawmakers acquiesce or relinquish some of their power to the governor, it may be because they choose to do so.

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