Partisan conflict between the White House and Congress is now a dominant feature of national politics in the United States. What the Constitution sought to institute-a system of checks and balances-divided government has taken to extremes: institutional divisions so deep that national challenges like balancing the federal budget or effectively regulating the nation's savings and loans have become insurmountable. In original essays written especially for this volume, eight of the leading scholars in American government address the causes and consequences of divided party control. Their essays, written with a student audience in mind, take up such timely questions as: Why do voters consistently elect Republican presidents and Democratic congresses? How does divided control shape national policy on crucial issues such as the declaration of war? How have presidents adapted their leadership strategies to the circumstance of divided government? And, how has Congress responded in the way it writes laws and oversees departmental performance? These issues and a host of others are addressed in this compact yet comprehensive volume. The distinguished lineup of contributors promises to make this book "must" reading for both novice and serious students of elections, Congress, and the presidency.

"Of all the Framers, James Madison arguably was closest to being a political scientist in the contemporary sense of the term. In preparing for the Philadelphia Convention, for instance, he made a thorough comparative study of ancient and modern confederacies. . . . These essays make a valuable and varied contribution to our understanding of Madison's political science and will elicit productive agreements and disagreements."--Presidential Studies Quarterly
"James Madison was America's first political scientist, and is arguably still its greatest. In these essays, Madison's latter-day heirs subject his close reasoning on the major problems of federalism and republicanism to some close scrutiny of their own. The result is a volume that illuminates both the sources of Madison's continuing influence on our ideas of the Founding era and the ways in which contemporary political science differs from his. One comes away from these papers impressed not only by how deeply the contributors have thought about Madison, but also by his capacity to inspire and demand continued critical thinking about the American constitutional system."--Jack Rakove, Stanford University

While much has been written about economic competition between the United States and Japan, it is easy to lose sight of the fact that their relationship is founded essentially on each sides' domestic political concerns. Many critics have concluded that to gain a new equilibrium in relations, the two counties must develop a sophisticated appreciation of each other's political dynamics. Because budgets, taxes and macroeconomic policy are so central to activities of both governments, this book, by Japanese and American experts, focuses on the role of political institutions in formulating economic policy. Despite the differences in the two counties political systems --one-party/parliamentary versus two-party/presidential --there are striking similarities in the way politics is transacted in Japan and the United States. In particular, politicians in both countries are motivated primarily by the desire to serve local constituencies, which leads to overly parochial public policies. Combining case studies and discussions, the contributors provide an overview of the Japanese and American political systems, particularly those aspects that are most relevant to economic policymaking. In addition, they offer a comparative analysis of the politics of budgeting, tax reform, and structural policies

Partisan conflict between the White House and Congress is now a dominant feature of national politics in the United States. What the Constitution sought to institute-a system of checks and balances-divided government has taken to extremes: institutional divisions so deep that national challenges like balancing the federal budget or effectively regulating the nation's savings and loans have become insurmountable. In original essays written especially for this volume, eight of the leading scholars in American government address the causes and consequences of divided party control. Their essays, written with a student audience in mind, take up such timely questions as: Why do voters consistently elect Republican presidents and Democratic congresses? How does divided control shape national policy on crucial issues such as the declaration of war? How have presidents adapted their leadership strategies to the circumstance of divided government? And, how has Congress responded in the way it writes laws and oversees departmental performance? These issues and a host of others are addressed in this compact yet comprehensive volume. The distinguished lineup of contributors promises to make this book "must" reading for both novice and serious students of elections, Congress, and the presidency.

"Of all the Framers, James Madison arguably was closest to being a political scientist in the contemporary sense of the term. In preparing for the Philadelphia Convention, for instance, he made a thorough comparative study of ancient and modern confederacies. . . . These essays make a valuable and varied contribution to our understanding of Madison's political science and will elicit productive agreements and disagreements."--Presidential Studies Quarterly
"James Madison was America's first political scientist, and is arguably still its greatest. In these essays, Madison's latter-day heirs subject his close reasoning on the major problems of federalism and republicanism to some close scrutiny of their own. The result is a volume that illuminates both the sources of Madison's continuing influence on our ideas of the Founding era and the ways in which contemporary political science differs from his. One comes away from these papers impressed not only by how deeply the contributors have thought about Madison, but also by his capacity to inspire and demand continued critical thinking about the American constitutional system."--Jack Rakove, Stanford University

This book explores the fascinating and puzzling world of nineteenth- and early-twentieth-century American elections. It examines the strategic behavior of nineteenth-century party politicians and shows how their search for electoral victory led them to invent a number of remarkable campaign practices. Why were parties dedicated to massive voter mobilization? Why did presidential nominees wage front-porch campaigns? Why did officeholders across the country tie their electoral fortunes to the popularity of presidential candidates at the top of the ticket? Erik J. Engstrom and Samuel Kernell demonstrate that the defining features of nineteenth-century electoral politics were the product of institutions in the states that prescribed how votes were cast and how those votes were converted into political offices. Relying on a century's worth of original data, this book uncovers the forces propelling the nineteenth-century electoral system, its transformation at the end of the nineteenth century, and the implications of that transformation for modern American politics.

This book explores the fascinating and puzzling world of nineteenth- and early twentieth-century American elections. It examines the strategic behavior of nineteenth-century party politicians and shows how their search for electoral victory led them to invent a number of remarkable campaign practices. Why were parties dedicated to massive voter mobilization? Why did presidential nominees wage front-porch campaigns? Why did officeholders across the country tie their electoral fortunes to the popularity of presidential candidates at the top of the ticket? Erik J. Engstrom and Samuel Kernell demonstrate that the defining features of nineteenth-century electoral politics were the product of institutions in the states that prescribed how votes were cast and how those votes were converted into political offices. Relying on a century's worth of original data, this book uncovers the forces propelling the nineteenth-century electoral system, its transformation at the end of the nineteenth century, and the implications of that transformation for modern American politics.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press's mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1986.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1986.