Volume 139 - Number 4 - Winter 2024-25
The Rhetorical Post-presidency: Former Presidents as Elite Cue Givers Gregory H. Winger AND Alex Oliver examine the degree to which former presidents can remain prominent political actors. They argue that their post-presidential influence is an outgrowth of the informal powers of the presidency.
Volume 139 - Number 3 - Fall 2024
El Cuento del Destino: Latino Voters, Demographic Determinism, and the Myth of an Inevitable Democratic Party Majority David L. Leal critically assess the “demography as destiny” theory which posits that the growing number of Latino voters who disproportionately support the Democratic Party, will not only gain political influence but will tilt the electorate in the party’s favor and erode the GOP’s electoral competitiveness. By looking at trends in Latino voting behavior and partisan affiliation since 2016, the authors reveal complexities that call into question the theory and its prevailing assumptions.
Volume 139 - Number 2 - Summer 2024
Good Governance and the Partisan Wars: The Effects of Divided Government on Administrative Problem Solving and Oversight Agenda Setting in Congress Claire Leavitt assesses the effects of partisanship on Congressional oversight by constructing a new, independent, and non-partisan oversight agenda for Congress based on the Government Accountability Office’s biennial “high risk list” of federal agencies and programs most vulnerable to waste, fraud and abuse. Leavitt finds a lack of partisan effects on Congress’ ability to investigate these high-risk issues specifically, while confirming the effect of polarization on other types of oversight.
Volume 139 - Number 2 - Summer 2024
The New Racial Spillover: Donald Trump, Racial Attitudes, and Public Opinion Toward Accountability for Perpetrators and Planners of the January 6 Capitol Attack Tatishe M. Nteta explore how racism affects the public’s attitudes towards accountability for those responsible for the January 6 attack on the Capitol. They argue that racial hostility is undermining norms of respect for elections, belief in the peaceful transfer of power, and belief in the rule of law.
Volume 138 - Number 3 - Fall 2023
“Laboratories against Democracy” and the Case against Federalism Daniel J. Hopkins reviews Jacob M. Grumbach’s new book, Laboratories against Democracy: How National Parties Transformed State Politics . While he voices some skepticism about the claim that federalism exacerbates contemporary threats to American democracy, he argues that the book is important, demands consideration, and is a model of synthetic scholarship.
Volume 138 - Number 3 - Fall 2023
Rethinking Political Polarization Andreas Schedler analyzes the concept of political polarization. He introduces a democratic dimension to scholarly debates regarding polarization that have revolved mostly around “ideological” and “social” polarization. He argues that polarization can be understood as an instance of “extraordinary” conflict in which compliance with democratic norms turns uncertain and democracy stops being “the only game in town.”
Volume 138 - Number 2 - Summer 2023
Police Unions, Race, and Trust in the Police
Volume 138 - Number 2 - Summer 2023
The Dimensions, Origins, and Consequences of Belief in Donald Trump’s Big Lie Gary C. Jacobson examines the dimensions of belief in Trump’s big lie of a stolen election: its origins and the conditions that sustain it, its effect on the Republican Party, and its impact on the 2022 midterm elections. He concludes that belief in the big lie is both a reflection of and potent contributor to political discord in the United States.
Volume 138 - Number 1 - Spring 2023
The 2022 Elections: A Test of Democracy’s Resilience and the Referendum Theory of Midterms Gary C. Jacobson discusses the 2022 midterm elections. He examines why Democrats lost far fewer House seats than standard referendum models predicted given high inflation and Joe Biden’s low approval ratings. He argues that Donald Trump’s meddling and the Court’s Dobbs decision reframed the vote choice in ways that energized Democrats, hardened partisan attitudes, and minimized defections even among those with negative opinions of Biden’s performance.
Volume 137 - Number 3 - Fall 2022
Is He Speaking Our Language? Donald Trump's Leadership Traits in Comparison with Previous Presidents SUSAN H. ALLEN and MARYANN E. GALLAGHER compare Donald Trump’s leadership traits to those of other recent U.S. presidents. They argue that even though Trump’s foreign policy rhetoric and actions may seem to indicate a leader deliberating challenging existing institutions, they were instead outcomes of a deeply distrustful individual focused primarily on maintaining the support of loyalists, not policymaking.
