A Theory of Decisive Leadership

We present a theory that rationalizes voters’ preference for decisive leaders. Common definitions of decisiveness reference the speed of decision making. Although greater speed can be good or bad, agency problems between voters and politicians create a natural preference among voters for leaders who have a greater aversion to delay or more self-knowledge than the voters, and hence who make decisions more rapidly. In electoral contests, candidates with reputations for greater decisiveness prevail, and therefore earn larger rents from office holding. Officials who aspire to higher office therefore attempt to signal decisiveness by accelerating observable decisions. Perceived decisiveness also enhances a leader’s ability to impose his or her own agenda on voters, and political polarization magnifies this effect. “I’m the decider, and I decide what is best.” George W. Bush, April 18, 2006