Roadblocked

Heath Brown is associate professor of public policy at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York and the CUNY Graduate Center, and the author of Homeschooling the Right, Immigrants and Electoral Politics, and Lobbying the New President.

• AcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. A Model of Access and Influence during Presidential Transitions2. Securing a Seat at the Table3. Inside the Biden-Harris Transition4. The Biden-Harris Transition from the Outside5. Healing the Nation6. What to Advise the New PresidentConclusionAppendix: Data CollectionNotesWorks CitedIndex

”The Trump-Biden transition was like no other in American presidential history. Heath Brown combines political science theory; a new data set on interest groups and their strategies for gaining access to incoming administrations; and a clear, engaging writing style to provide a highly readable and interesting look at this most unusual period in American politics. Roadblocked will take its place among the best scholarship on presidential transitions.” - Daniel E. Ponder, author of Presidential Leverage: Presidents, Approval, and the American Stateand Good Advice: Information and Policy Making in the White House“A top scholar of presidential transitions asks systematic questions and offers historical context for a presidential transition under extraordinarily challenging circumstances. This book offers a rigorous and lively look at the Biden transition.” - Julia R. Azari, author of Delivering the People’s Message: The Changing Politics of the Presidential Mandate“This is fresh and important look at modern presidential transitions, focusing on the way groups do and do not get access to transitions. Brown shows how patterns of early access influence policy and politics during the transition and throughout the president’s term. This book will be of interest to scholars of the presidency, interest groups, and American politics more generally.” - David E. Lewis, author of The Politics of Presidential Appointments: Political Control and Bureaucratic Performance“Roadblocked is a masterstroke by Heath Brown, whose exceptional investigative scholarship produces an unrivaled account of the Biden-Harris transition. With over 125 exclusive interviews underpinning a narrative that is as authoritative as it is compelling, Heath offers a rare glimpse into the inner workings of presidential transitions. This book is an indispensable read for anyone fascinated by the complexities of American politics and the dynamics behind these transfers of extraordinary institutional power.” - William G. Resh, author of Rethinking the Administrative Presidency: Trust, Intellectual Capital, and Appointee-Careerist Relations in the George W. Bush Administration“Roadblocked is the definitive account of one of the most complex and consequential presidential transitions in US history. With scholarly rigor and keen insight, Heath Brown explains what was different about the Biden-Harris transition and--focusing on the enduring importance of access and influence in that process--what was all too familiar about it. Deeply researched and engagingly written, this is an essential book for anyone interested in understanding the American presidency, as well as public policy, political parties, interest groups, and the future of our democratic institutions.” - Christopher Devine, author of I’m Here to Ask for Your Vote: How Presidential Campaign Visits Influence Voters and coauthor of Do Running Mates Matter? The Influence of Vice Presidential Candidates in Presidential Elections