The Legitimacy of Inexperience: Leadership from Outside

Abstract

Experience in politics and administration is typically thought of as legitimizing leadership. However, what if those with experience are judged to be poor performers in the premier leadership post in American politics—the presidency? History provides a number of such cases—indeed, nearly a quarter of the presidents can be so designated. This article identifies these instances and the successions to those presidents with little or no national-level political or executive experience. The conclusion: greater legitimacy is accorded to inexperience, with all of its accompanying risks. The cases are comparatively analyzed and lessons identified for the forty-fourth president—Barack Obama.

Recommended Citation

Jones, Charles O. (2009) "The Legitimacy of Inexperience: Leadership from Outside," The Forum: Vol. 7 : Iss. 1, Article 2.
DOI: 10.2202/1540-8884.1303
Available at: http://www.bepress.com/forum/vol7/iss1/art2