The Timing of Presidential Scandals: The Role of Economics, Divided Government and the Media

Abstract

The political consequences of presidential scandals have received a great deal of attention in both the media and scholarly work. The role of the media and the impact of presidential approval are some the most common topics. In this study, we develop models that predict the type of political environment that is most likely to produce a scandal. The findings link the occurrence of presidential scandals with the performance of the economy and the presence of divided government. A strong economy creates favorable conditions for scandals. Divided government is shown to be an almost necessary condition for a presidential scandal to occur.