Governing in a polarized age : elections, parties and political representation in America / Alan S. Gerber, Yale University ; Eric Schickler, University of California, Berkeley.
Title:
Governing in a polarized age : elections, parties and political representation in America / Alan S. Gerber, Yale University ; Eric Schickler, University of California, Berkeley.
Publication:
New York, NY : Cambridge University Press, 2017.
Copyright:
©2017
Publication Date:
2017
ISBN:
9781107095090
9781107479074
9780300140729
Bibliography Note:
Includes bibliographical references and index.
Contents:
Introduction / . Political Representation and Democratic Accountability: The electoral connection, age 40 / The electoral connection, then and now / The Congressional incumbency advantage over sixty years: measurement, trends, and implications / A baseline for incumbency effects / Continuity and Change in Party Organizations: Legislative parties in an era of alternating majorities / Parties within parties: parties, factions, and coordinated politics, 1900-1980 / Where measures meet history: party polarization during the New Deal and Fair Deal / Partisanship and Governmental Performance: Polarized we govern? / What has Congress done? / Can Congress do policy analysis? The politics of problem solving on Capitol Hill / Studying contingency systematically / Majoritarianism, majoritarian tension, and the Reed revolution / Conclusions: Intensified partisanship in Congress: institutional effects / The origins of Congress: The Electoral Connection
Abstract:
"Many political observers have expressed doubts as to whether America's leaders are up to the task of addressing major policy challenges. Yet much of the critical commentary lacks grounding in the systematic analysis of the core institutions of the American political system including elections, representation, and the law-making process. Governing in a Polarized Age brings together more than a dozen leading scholars to provide an in-depth examination of representation and legislative performance. Drawing upon the seminal work of David Mayhew as a point of departure, these essays explore the dynamics of incumbency advantage in today's polarized Congress, asking whether the focus on individual re-election that was the hallmark of Mayhew's ground-breaking book, Congress: The Electoral Connection, remains useful for understanding today's Congress. The essays link the study of elections with close analysis of changes in party organization and with a series of systematic assessments of the quality of legislative performance"-- Provided by publisher.
Content Type:
text
Carrier Type:
volume
Language:
English
No. of Holds:
