Despite an increased need to measure presidential power and the increased use of such measurements in empirical studies, there has been little examination of the relative merits of alternative methods of measuring presidential power. This study reviews the measures currently in use and identifies the measure developed by Shugart and Carey (1992) as the most useful. The study also suggests improvements to the Shugart and Carey method to improve its applicability to semipresidential regimes. Scoring of Austria, Finland, France, and the six Central and East European states with popularly elected presidents demonstrates the usefulness of these revisions for establishing clearer boundaries for this regime type, which is a necessary step toward empirical testing of the relationship between semipresidentialism and democratic consolidation.
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