The American political pattern
Subtitle: stability and change, 1932-2016
By: Byron E. Shafer
Series: Studies in government and public policy; Studies in government and public policy
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
Published: 2016
Language: eng
Number of pages: 265
ISBN-13: 9780700623266; 9780700623273
Subjects: Politics and government; Political culture
Description: "We live in a time of hyper political polarization that makes governing extremely difficult. How did we get here? In this book Byron Shafer explores American politics from 1932 to the present to understand the underlying patterns of American politics and how changes in these patterns have affected policymaking. He divides American politics since 1932 into four periods. He argues that American politics during this time can be examined by looking at changes in the balance between the political parties; ideological polarization (or the distance on policy issues between contending forces); and substantive conflict over policy. These are set in the context of external demands for government action (i.e. depression, war, civil rights) as well as the institutions of American government (separation of powers and federalism) that structure how groups compete over government policy"--
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Preface: an American political pattern?; title: Birth pangs of the modern world: the political structure of the high New Deal era, 1932-1938; title: The long arm of the New Deal: the political structure of the late New Deal era, 1939-1968; title: The rise of participatory politics: the political structure of an era of divided government, 1969-1992; title: A political structure for the modern world: the era of partisan volatility, 1993-2016; title: Conclusion: stability and change in American politics, 1932-2016.