| Since Walter Mondale's vice presidency, a noticeable change occurred in an office long derided as a wasteland: vice presidents acquired resources, influence, and prestige, which I refer to as the semi-institutionalization of the vice presidency. This development was the result of a number of factors, most significantly the increasing complexity of the international environment, the growth of the presidency, and the establishment of precedents between President Carter and Vice President Mondale. These precedents have increased the likelihood that vice presidents will work in close proximity to their presidents and have more influence over foreign policy. However, the "semi" prefix denotes that different vice presidents will have different opportunities to influence foreign policy. Specifically, presidents who have greater needs for particular foreign policy advice will rely more heavily upon vice presidents who can meet those needs.; Semi-institutional vice presidents have three important roles that they have used to become influential in foreign policy. First, they serve as surrogates for their presidents, which includes meeting with foreign diplomats, making public speeches, and lobbying on Capitol Hill. A second role foreign policy role for vice presidents is the supervision of delegated tasks. Finally, vice presidents have independent influence, which allows them to commit time and energy to issues that are important to them and the presidents they serve.; This dissertation uses multiple case studies to evaluate the creation and development of the semi-institutional vice presidency. After an introduction, which includes a history of the vice presidency from Harry Truman to Nelson Rockefeller, succeeding chapters are dedicated to the performance of Vice Presidents Walter Mondale, George Bush, Dan Quayle, Al Gore, and Dick Cheney. They all benefited, to greater or lesser degrees, from the changes made during Walter Mondale's vice presidency. |
