Beyond Beyle

The subject of studying the institutional powers of §state governors has largely been expressed on a §macro level. Scholars have focused on obtaining a §measurement of overall gubernatorial powers, often §overlooking the quality of the individual §measurements that make up their cumulative index. §The most recognized method for measuring the formal §and informal powers of state governors was created §by Joseph A. Schlesinger and continued by Thad §Beyle, who introduced the concept of temporal §updates. This study reviews and reworks the Beyle §scales in an effort to identify differences §between states in terms of their individual powers. §By identifying constitutional and statutory §differences among states, revised scales and scores §are suggested to improve the validity of measuring §the individual powers. The study performs a time-§series comparison between the Beyle and Reisinger §scales to investigate how the matrices track changes §over time. Finally, by fitting the new scales into §an existing framework for gubernatorial policy §success, it becomes possible to predict the policy §outcomes of gubernatorial legislative proposals.