The Transformation of American Politics

by Pierson, Paul; Skocpol, Theda

• ISBN13: 9780691122588
• ISBN10: 069112258X
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2007-07-30
• Publisher: Princeton Univ Pr

Summary

The contemporary American political landscape has been marked by two paradoxical transformations: the emergence after 1960 of an increasingly activist state, and the rise of an assertive and politically powerful conservatism that strongly opposes activist government. Leading young scholars take up these issues inThe Transformation of American Politics. Arguing that even conservative administrations have become more deeply involved in managing our economy and social choices, they examine why our political system nevertheless has grown divided as never before over the extent to which government should involve itself in our lives. The contributors show how these two closely linked trends have influenced the reform and running of political institutions, patterns of civic engagement, and capacities for partisan mobilization--and fueled ever-heightening conflicts over the contours and reach of public policy. These transformations not only redefined who participates in American politics and how they do so, but altered the substance of political conflicts and the capacities of rival interests to succeed. Representing both an important analysis of American politics and an innovative contribution to the study of long-term political change, this pioneering volume reveals how partisan discourse and the relationship between citizens and their government have been redrawn and complicated by increased government programs. The contributors are Andrea Louise Campbell, Jacob S. Hacker, Nolan McCarty, Suzanne Mettler, Paul Pierson, Theda Skocpol, Mark A. Smith, Steven M. Teles, and Julian E. Zelizer.

Author Biography

Paul Pierson holds the Avice Saint Chair of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. Theda Skocpol is the Victor S. Thomas Professor of Government and Sociology at Harvard University.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	p. vii
List of Tables	p. ix
List of Contributors	p. xi
Introduction	p. 1
American Politics in the Long Run	p. 3
The Shifting Political Landscape	p. 17
The Rise and Reconfiguration of Activist Government	p. 19
Government Activism and the Reorganization of American Civic Democracy	p. 39
Parties, Electoral Participation, and Shifting Voting Blocs	p. 68
Conservatives on the Rise	p. 103
Seizing Power: Conservatives and Congress since the 1970s	p. 105
Economic Insecurity, Party Reputations, and the Republican Ascendance	p. 135
Conservative Mobilization against Entrenched Liberalism	p. 160
Policy and Politics in the New American Polity	p. 189
The Transformed Welfare State and the Redistribution of Political Voice	p. 191
The Policy Effects of Political Polarization	p. 223
Tax Politics and the Struggle over Activist Government	p. 256
Conclusion	p. 281
Political Development and Contemporary American Politics	p. 283
References	p. 295
Index	p. 321
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