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Picking Presidents

How to Make the Most Consequential Decision in the World
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( 34 ratings, 2 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Picking Presidents by Gautam Mukunda offers a comprehensive, objective, and non-partisan approach to evaluate if a candidate is fit to be President of the United States. Combining insights from political science, psychology, organisational behaviour, and economics, the book explores a proven method to judge presidential prospects, analysing both successful and failed leaders from Harry Truman to James Buchanan and Theodore Roosevelt. Mukunda’s clear framework empowers readers to make informed decisions during elections.
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Format: Hardback
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

This book is ideal for readers interested in Politics & Current Affairs, presidential leadership, and those wishing to cast informed votes in US elections. It suits political scientists, students, and engaged citizens seeking a non-partisan, analytical approach to evaluating presidential candidates.

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Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Celebrated leadership expert and political scientist Gautam Mukunda provides a comprehensive, objective, and non-partisan method for answering the most important question in the world: is someone up to the job of President of the United States?

In Picking Presidents, Gautam Mukunda sets his sights on presidential candidates, proposing an objective and tested method to assess whether they will succeed or fail if they win the White House. Combining political science, psychology, organisational behaviour, and economics, Picking Presidents will enable every American to cast an informed vote.

In his 2012 book Indispensable, which all but predicted the Trump presidency, Mukunda explained how both the very best and very worst leaders are "unfiltered"β€”outsiders who take power without the understanding or support of traditional elites. Picking Presidents provides deep analysis of filtered and unfiltered presidents alike, from failed haberdasher and skilful president Harry Truman, to the exceptionally well-qualifiedβ€”and ultimately reviledβ€”James Buchanan; from Andrew Johnson, who set Civil Rights back by a century, to Theodore Roosevelt, who evaded party opposition to transform American society. Picking Presidents lays out a clear framework that anyone can use to judge a candidate and answer the all-important question: are they up to the job?

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

Thomas Friedman, New York Times columnist and Pulitzer Prize-winning author, recommends Picking Presidents as essential reading to understand presidential candidate selection and election stakes. Bloomberg Surveillance praises the book as "shockingly prescient," highlighting its timely and insightful analysis.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780520379992

Publisher: University of California Press

Format: Hardback

Date Published: 18 October 2022

Country: United States

Imprint: University of California Press

Illustration: 6 tables

Audience: Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 28.0mm

Width: 152.0mm

Height: 229.0mm

Weight: 544g

Pages: 288

About the Author

Gautam Mukunda is a Research Fellow at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Center for Public Leadership, author of Indispensable: When Leaders Really Matter, and the host of NASDAQ’s World Reimagined podcast. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at Harvard Business School and Distinguished Visiting Professor at Schwarzman College, Tsinghua University.

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