Volume 136 - Number 2 - Summer 2021
Economic Sectionalism, Executive-Centered Partisanship, and the Politics of the State and Local Tax Deduction Nicholas F. Jacobs examines the partisan implications of the 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act and its reform of the state and local tax deduction. He argues that fundamental changes in the geographic composition of the electorate and the centrality of presidential politics in the party system explain why the Republican Party reduced one of the most unequal features of the U.S. tax code, but chose not to emphasize its egalitarian consequences.
Volume 136 - Number 1 - Spring 2021
The Presidential and Congressional Elections of 2020: A National Referendum on the Trump Presidency Gary C. Jacobson discusses the 2020 presidential and congressional elections. He argues that the elections were above all a referendum on Donald Trump’s presidency, which provoked extreme levels of party loyalty, partisan polarization, and partisan animosity in the electorate, as well as the highest voter turnout in more than a century.
Volume 135 - Number 4 - Winter 2020-21
The Twitter Presidency: How Donald Trump’s Tweets Undermine Democracy and Threaten Us All Brian L. Ott and Greg Dickinson discuss Donald Trump’s use of Twitter. They argue that this ability to leverage the structural biases of Twitter has eroded the democratic norms and principles that protect against the slide into authoritarianism.
Volume 136 - Number 1 - Spring 2021
Loyalists and Switchers: Characterizing Voters’ Responses to Donald Trump’s Campaign and Presidency Meredith Dost , Ryan Enos , and Jennifer Hochschild look at the crucial segment of American voters who have changed their views about Donald Trump since the 2016 presidential election. Using two original surveys, they find that attitudes on race and immigration, populism and authoritarianism, and the nation’s and their own economic well-being are all associated with loyalty to and switching from this divisive president.
Volume 135 - Number 3 - Fall 2020
Integration: A Key for Progress in Our Increasingly Diverse Country Jaleel Howard and Pedro Noguera review the recently published Children on the Dram: Why School Integration Works and A Single Garment: Creating Intentionally Diverse Schools That Benefit All Children . They find that through in-depth analysis the books provide substantial evidence supporting the landmark Brown v. Board of Education decision and the need for diverse schools. They argue that integration is not only a valuable tool in child development, but also essential for the future of American democracy.
Volume 135 - Number 3 - Fall 2020
Limits of the Conservative Revolution in the States
Volume 135 - Number 2 - Summer 2020
Foreign Policy Dilemmas and Opportunities for a New Administration: An Opinion Piece Robert Jervis speculates about the likely foreign policy that a Democratic administration will follow if its candidate wins in November. He argues that President Donald Trump will have left a difficult legacy and his successor will have to simultaneously rebuild trust and instructions while also utilizing the leverage that Trump has generated.
Volume 135 - Number 1 - Spring 2020
The Southern Question: American Voluntary Association Development, 1876–1920 Nicholas Pyeatt evaluate the efforts of voluntary associations to organize and expand in the South during the Gilded Age and Progressive Era. They find that while organizing happened, there were serious impediments to the creation, expansion, and maintenance of associations. They argue that this had important consequences for the political representation of its citizens and the development of civil society in the region.
Volume 135 - Number 1 - Spring 2020
Obama, Congress, and Audience Costs: Shifting the Blame on the Red Line Sarah Burns and Andrew Stravers analyze President Barack Obama’s decisions regarding Libya in 2011 and Syria in 2013 and 2014. Using statistical and case study evidence they argue that Obama’s request for congressional support in 2013 was an excuse to avoid action and audience costs rather than a genuine effort to gain congressional support for military action.
Volume 134 - Number 4 - Winter 2019–20
The Symbolic Politics of Poverty in the United States: A Review Essay Elizabeth Rigby reviews two recently published books on the politics of poverty in the United States: Lawrence J. McAndrews’s The Presidents and the Poor: America Battles Poverty 1964-2017 and Kristina C. Miler’s Poor Representation: Congress and the Politics of Poverty in the United States . Rigby argues that the books highlight that while policymakers continue calls for action on the issue of poverty, the actual policy response has been limited and the problem of poverty remains largely unsolved.
