Volume 137 - Number 2 - Summer 2022
Review Essay: Making America Great Again? Individualism, Community, and Enlightened Self-Interest in the United States Michael X. Delli Carpini reviews Robert Putnam’s The Upswing . He finds Putnam’s argument—that American democracy requires a balance between individualism and communitarianism—and his evidence that this balance produced positive effects through the first 60 years of the twentieth century, insightful and convincing, but raises concerns that this “data driven narrative” silos issues of race and gender, overstates the negative consequences of the political and cultural movements of the 1960s, and downplays the importance of political struggle and power in both the “upswings” and the downswings” that Putnam documents.
Volume 136 - Number 4 - Winter 2021-22
After Trump: Enemies, Partisans, and Recovery Christopher J. Fettweis discusses what political polarization in the United States has in common with the relationship between the Cold War superpowers. He argues that in both cases the “enemy image” warps perception of the other side and prevents meaningful reconciliation. Applying insight from international relations to U.S. domestic politics, he discusses the pernicious effects of the enemy image and how to overcome it.
Volume 136 - Number 2 - Summer 2021
How to Win a “Long Game”: The Voting Rights Act, the Republican Party, and the Politics of Counter-Enforcement Adrienne Jones and ANDREW POLSKY examine how the Republican Party engaged in counter-enforcement of the Voting Rights Act of 1965, notably during the Reagan and Bush 43 administrations, in an effort to maximize the voting strength of pro-Republican voting constituencies. They argue that sustained counter-enforcement efforts lead to sharp policy oscillations when parties alternate in power and that if a party pursues the long game of persistent counter-enforcement, it may find itself with the opportunity to achieve lasting results.
Volume 136 - Number 3 - Fall 2021
Contemporary Black Populism and the Development of Multiracial Electoral Coalitions: The 2018 Stacey Abrams and Andrew Gillum Gubernatorial Campaigns Sharon D. Wright Austin uses a populist theoretical framework to examine the 2018 gubernatorial campaigns of Stacey Abrams of Georgia and Andrew Gillum of Florida. She finds that although both candidates attracted the support of voters of all races, they lost because of disappointing turnout rates. She argues that this research provides evidence of the challenges black candidates encounter when seeking to win southern statewide elections through the usage of populist appeals.
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
