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This book studies how American political reform efforts often fail because of the unrealistic ideal of a fully informed and engaged citizenry.
This text assembles the evidence of how democratic institutions and processes are changing and considers the larger implications of these reforms for the nature of democracy. The findings point to a new style of democratic politics that expands the nature of democracy.
"The Personal Vote" describes the behavior of representatives in the United States and Great Britain and the response of their constituents as well. It shows how congressmen and members of Parliament earn personalized support and how this attenuates their ties to national leaders and parties. This book is essential for specialists in American national government, British politics, and comparative legislatures and comparative parties.
Legislative term limits adopted in the 1990s are in effect in fifteen states today. This reform is arguably the most significant institutional change in American government of recent decades. Most of the legislatures in these fifteen states have experienced a complete turnover of their membership; hundreds of experienced lawmakers have become ineligible for reelection, and their replacements must learn and perform their jobs in as few as six years. Now that term limits have been in effect long enough for both their electoral and institutional effects to become apparent, their consequences can be gauged fully and with the benefit of hindsight. In the most comprehensive study of the subject, e...
Developments in American Politics 3 offers a timely, comprehensive, and thought-provoking assessment of government, politics, and policy in the United States. Written by a team of leading international scholars and focused on the trends of the 1990s, this book sets the scene for a thorough understanding of American politics into the new century.
Historically, the political question doctrine has held the courts from resolving constitutional issues that are better left to other departments of government, as a way of maintaining the system of checks and balances. However, this book discusses the gradual changes in the parameters of the doctrine, including its current position dealing with increasingly extraterritorial concerns.
Direct democracy is growing in the form of statewide ballot initiatives. This work assesses the health of the intitiative process through the insights of initiative scholars, journalists, and political consultants across America.
Congressional Primaries and the Politics of Representation explores the ways in which congressional primary elections appear to be changing in the face of electoral and congressional politics. The prominent contributors examine how primary elections influence the types of candidates who run, the support they receive, the positions they take, the resources they spend, the media coverage they receive, and the type of party nominees that prevail. All of these factors have significant implications for congressional general elections, the political parties, interest groups, and the day-to-day representation of constituents by congressional incumbents.