Volume 132 - Number 3 - Fall 2017
Making America Grate Again: The “Italianization” of American Politics and the Future of Transatlantic Relations in the Era of Donald J. Trump ANDREA LOCATELLI reflect on analogies drawn between President Donald Trump and two Italian counterparts: Benito Mussolini and Silvio Berlusconi. They conclude that while the former is widely off the mark, the latter provides some insight. They argue that a Berlusconi type Trump administration will prove challenging for transatlantic relations.
Volume 132 - Number 2 - Summer 2017
The Mediating Effect of Authoritarianism on Immigrant Access to TANF: A State-Level Analysis JASON E. KEHRBERG discusses the effects of authoritarianism in American states and specifically on immigrant access to TANF. He uses an original measure of authoritarianism and concludes that states with authoritarian populations are more likely to deny immigrants access to welfare benefits.
Volume 132 - Number 2 - Summer 2017
Debating War Powers: Battles in the Clinton and Obama Administrations Sarah Burns challenges the concept that presidential overreach has eroded the separation of powers in the realm of warfare. She argues that rather than causing the erosion, presidents have responded to Congress’s reluctance to deliberate about military affairs. They have relied increasingly on questionable legal justifications from executive branch lawyers.
Volume 132 - Number 1 - Spring 2017
When Do the Rich Win? Christopher Wlezien examine the influence of economic “haves” and “have-nots” on public policy decisions in the United States. They find that the middle class, the rich, and the poor almost always agree on policies. When they disagree, the rich win only slightly more often. They conclude that the rich may matter more than they seemingly should but they do not dominate policymaking.
Volume 132 - Number 1 - Spring 2017
The Triumph of Polarized Partisanship in 2016: Donald Trump’s Improbable Victory Gary C. Jacobson discusses the reasons Donald Trump’s victory was so improbable, considers why he won anyway, and speculates about what this portends for national politics going forward. He also analyzes the 2016 congressional elections. He finds them, by comparison, uneventful, but with results that confirm the thoroughly partisan, president-centered, and polarized nature of contemporary American electoral politics.
Volume 131 - Number 4 - Winter 2016–17
Presidential Signing Statements and Lawmaking Credit BRYAN MARSHALL analyze “signing statements” from John F. Kennedy to George W. Bush and find that presidents are more likely to give credit to members of Congress for legislative accomplishments when political conditions make bill passage difficult. They show that presidents strategically share credit with key coalition members, party leaders, co-partisans, and senators in order to support their coalition and party-building needs in Congress.
Volume 131 - Number 3 - Fall 2016
The Steady Leadership of George H.W. Bush: A Review Essay of Destiny and Power Meena Bose reviews Jon Meacham’s biography Destiny and Power: The American Odyssey of George Herbert Walker Bush . She ?nds that Bush’s diplomatic expertise and collegial leadership style raise important questions about the role of the presidency in the American political system.
Volume 131 - Number 3 - Fall 2016
The Impact of Voter Fraud Claims on Voter Registration Reform Legislation MARGARET GROARKE examines the impact that claims of voter fraud has had on three cases of voter registration reforms in the United States. She argues that the opposition that these legislative efforts faced is best understood as a partisan strategy to redistribute the electorate.
Volume 131 - Number 3 - Fall 2016
Democracy, Elite Bias, and Redistribution in Latin America VICTOR MENALDO discusses the effects of democracy on redistribution in Latin America. He challenges the view that democratization has been a credible commitment to redistribution in the region. He argues that redistribution is unlikely if authoritarian elites can manipulate the rules of the democratic game.
Volume 131 - Number 1 - Spring 2016
The Geographies of Economic Voting in Presidential and Congressional Elections Jordan M. Ragusa and MATTHEW TARPEY look at whether local economic conditions affect voting behavior in the United States. They argue that economic voting is principally a national phenomenon, with variation in the national unemployment rate having robust effects in both presidential and congressional elections.
