The Transformation of American Politics: Activist Government & the Rise of Conservatism (Princeton Studies in American Politics)

The contemporary American political landscape has been marked by two paradoxical transformations: the emergence after 1960 of an increasingly activist state, and the rise of an assertive and politically powerful conservatism that strongly opposes activist government. Leading young scholars take up these issues in The Transformation of American Politics. Arguing that even conservative administrations have become more deeply involved in managing our economy and social choices, they examine why our political system nevertheless has grown divided as never before over the extent to which government should involve itself in our lives.

The contributors show how these two closely linked trends have influenced the reform and running of political institutions, patterns of civic engagement, and capacities for partisan mobilization--and fueled ever-heightening conflicts over the contours and reach of public policy. These transformations not only redefined who participates in American politics and how they do so, but altered the substance of political conflicts and the capacities of rival interests to succeed. Representing both an important analysis of American politics and an innovative contribution to the study of long-term political change, this pioneering volume reveals how partisan discourse and the relationship between citizens and their government have been redrawn and complicated by increased government programs.

The contributors are Andrea Louise Campbell, Jacob S. Hacker, Nolan McCarty, Suzanne Mettler, Paul Pierson, Theda Skocpol, Mark A. Smith, Steven M. Teles, and Julian E. Zelizer.

"The Transformation of American Politics has so much going for it. The contributors to this volume are well-known experts in their fields. There are obvious and important connections among the chapters, adding to the coherence of the whole. The volume effectively shows how historical perspectives can shed light not just on eras long ago but on contemporary debates. It's a winner."--Christopher Howard, author of The Welfare State Nobody Knows

The contributors show how these two closely linked trends have influenced the reform and running of political institutions, patterns of civic engagement, and capacities for partisan mobilization--and fueled ever-heightening conflicts over the contours and reach of public policy. These transformations not only redefined who participates in American politics and how they do so, but altered the substance of political conflicts and the capacities of rival interests to succeed. Representing both an important analysis of American politics and an innovative contribution to the study of long-term political change, this pioneering volume reveals how partisan discourse and the relationship between citizens and their government have been redrawn and complicated by increased government programs.

The contributors are Andrea Louise Campbell, Jacob S. Hacker, Nolan McCarty, Suzanne Mettler, Paul Pierson, Theda Skocpol, Mark A. Smith, Steven M. Teles, and Julian E. Zelizer.

List of Figures vii

List of Tables ix

List of Contributors xi

INTRODUCTION 1

CHAPTER ONE: American Politics in the Long Run by Paul Pierson and Theda Skocpol 3

PART ONE: The Shifting Political Landscape 17

CHAPTER TWO

The Rise and Reconfiguration of Activist Government by Paul Pierson 19

CHAPTER THREE: Government Activism and the Reorganization of American Civic Democracy by Theda Skocpol 39

CHAPTER FOUR: Parties, Electoral Participation, and Shifting Voting Blocs by Andrea Louise Campbell 68

PART TWO: Conservatives on the Rise 103

CHAPTER FIVE: Seizing Power: Conservatives and Congress since the 1970s by Julian E. Zelizer 105

CHAPTER SIX: Economic Insecurity, Party Reputations, and the Republican Ascendance by Mark A. Smith 135

CHAPTER SEVEN: Conservative Mobilization against Entrenched Liberalism by Steven M. Teles 160

PART THREE: Policy and Politics in the New American Polity 189

CHAPTER EIGHT: The Transformed Welfare State and the Redistribution of Political Voice by Suzanne Mettler 191

CHAPTER NINE: The Policy Effects of Political Polarization by Nolan McCarty 223

CHAPTER TEN: Tax Politics and the Struggle over Activist Government by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson 256

CONCLUSION 281

CHAPTER ELEVEN: Political Development and Contemporary American Politics by Paul Pierson and Theda Skocpol 283

References 295

Index 321