Abstract
Studies conducted on presidential agenda setting have alluded to the important role that ideas can play in the process. However, this aspect of the process has gone largely undeveloped. This study draws on ideational theory to develop a framework for studying the role of ideas in the presidential agenda setting process and applies the framework in a case study of President Jimmy Carter’s energy policy. The data for this study is drawn from interviews with presidential staff, government documents, periodicals, peer reviewed articles, and presidential speeches. The study offers a detailed illustration of the causal role that ideas can play in the presidential agenda setting process.