Political parties and party platforms Books

Book SynopsisAlex Salmond, a talented politician in charge of Scotland's devolved government since 2007, is mounting the biggest challenge to the British union state in its 300-year history. His fast-growing Scottish National Party wants Scotland to cease being the invisible country of Europe and to embrace independence. This book argues that if the Union is demolished, change will remain elusive and Scotland will continue to be run by the close-knit administrative, commercial and religious elites who have dominated the country for centuries. Tom Gallagher contends that the SNP remains fixated by resentment towards England and has no strategy for reviving a struggling economy and the deep-seated social problems which disfigure urban Scotland. He argues that the SNP are not committed to independence, that the SNP is a super-unionist party, that it recoils from popular sovereignty and is an enthusiastic backer of the EU's plans for a post-national Europe based on federalist rule from Brussels, and that it endorses a radical multi-culturalism that devalues individual citizenship and places Scotland at the mercy of globalization. Gallagher's hard-hitting analysis will stir emotions and generate debate, especially his claim that if the SNP triumphs it will reinforce the authoritarian trends which have disfigured Scottish history and contributed to heavy emigration. He passionately believes that moral and practical energies need to be released if Scotland is to renew itself, but fears that as long as the country is seen in romantic and propagandistic terms, this overdue transformation will be stillborn.

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Book SynopsisOn the eve of the general election, Ed Miliband declared that Labour had won the ‘ground war’. He proclaimed that his activists had been in touch with many more voters than his opponents: ‘We have had five million conversations. This will go to the wire.’ Yet the Conservatives went on to win a majority for the first time in more than two decades - while Labour lost seats in England, and were all but wiped out in Scotland. How could they get it so wrong? Iain Watson followed the Labour campaign around Britain, and now he examines what its senior politicians are now calling the party’s ‘political and organisational failures.’ He exposes the high-level divisions over when to rule out a deal with the SNP, the gulf between perception and reality over Labour’s level of support, and looks at the more successful campaigns of the Conservatives and Scottish Nationalists. He sets out the challenges for the next Labour leader, having had his own conversations with voters, activists and senior party figures, and discovers there is no easy solution to the party’s problems.Trade ReviewA gripping, well-crafted insight into Labour's failures. - Mark Aitken, Sunday MailTable of ContentsContents Acknowledgements 9 Preface 11 The Accidental Leader 13There may be Trouble Ahead – The Election in Microcosm 41Deal or No Deal 48The Battle for Downing Street 53From Builder to Soldier: Britain Succeeds When Working People Succeed 58Funny Business 63Zero Sum Game 69We’re all Labour Here 76Happy Warrior 83Chips off the Old Block 86A bit of Politics 89A Taxing Issue 90Education, Education… Fratricide 93One Nation, No Vision? 96Unions and the Union 100Worry Points 102A Flock of Starlings 10813,000 Conversations 111In Good Health? 114Hold the Front Page 116Missing a Trick? 120Invitation Only 122Campaign Stop 127Not a Big Enough Difference 130Put to the Test 133Immigration and Exploitation 135Marriage of Convenience 141A Day at the Races 143The Most Unlikely Cult of the 21st Century 146Blood on His Hands, Blood on the Carpet 148New Town Blues 151Generation Rent 154Marred by the SNP Myth 156A Trip to the Theatre 158Building Non-Traditional Support 160Labour’s Brand Problem 162Dangerous Territory 164No Question of Deals 168A Question of Credibility 171Mayday, Mayday… Scottish Labour’s Existential Threat 178Facebook v Foot-Weary: Right People, Wrong Conversations 184Luvvies for Labour 190Edstone 192Message, Not Mileage 197Five Million Conversations 199The Strange Disappearance of Arnie Graf 205A Little Less Conversation: Food, Drink and Fun 208Breakfast in Doncaster 213The Loser Always Wins? 215Moment of Truth 220Nuneaton is the New Basildon 223Exit 226A Question of Leadership 230AppendicesAppendix 1 Clause 4 – Aims and Values 265Appendix 2 Labour Party Leaders 266Appendix 3 Selected quotes 268Appendix 4 Labour Votes at General Elections 273Appendix 5 Campaign Chronology 274Appendix 6 Labour Party Leadership results announced12 September 2015 277Appendix 7 Miliband and Corbyn buzzwords 278

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Book SynopsisThe last few years have seen a Scottish independence referendum, a couple of General Elections and a vote on whether or not we should remain in the European Union. Throw in two uncompromising Labour leadership battles at UK level and a couple in Scotland, and it would be true to say that nothing less than a political whirlwind has swept through the corridors of the Scottish Parliament since it ‘reconvened’ in 1999. Following the turbulent six years for which Neil Findlay has been a member of the Scottish Parliament for Lothian, Socialism & Hope tracks the highs and lows of his personal and political life. From standing in the 2014 election to become the Leader of the Scottish Labour Party, to acting as Jeremy Corbyn’s Scottish campaign chief in the 2015 and 2016 leadership elections, Neil’s political career has been tireless and active. This book, described by Jeremy Corbyn as ‘an honest, frank and challenging – as well as humorous of course – account of his time […] at the forefront of Scottish politics’, also includes Neil’s inside view on the events of the 2014 Scottish Referendum and the rise of a more socialist Labour Party. With its entertaining narrative, it provides unprecedented and personal insights from within the political sphere itself. As well as surveying the past few years of political tumult, Socialism & Hope also looks forward to envision a society transformed by a revitalised Labour movement.Trade Review.

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Book SynopsisThe Internet and "social media" may initially have been understood as just one more instrument politicians could employ to manage without political parties. However, these media cannot be reduced to being a tool available solely to politicians. The electronic media make reinforcement of the "glocalization" of the public and political sphere, a process already set in motion with the advent of television, and they can develop the trend even further. Political parties are therefore once again becoming indispensable; they are in an unparalleled position to recreate social and political bonds, for only they stand both at the center and on the periphery of the new sphere encompassing public and political life. TABLE OF CONTENTS New Technologies: Helping Political Parties and the Democratic Processes or Threatening Them? (Guy Lachapelle and Philippe J. Maarek) Part I: The Integration of Technological Innovations in the Practices of Parties and Citizens Innovations in Information Technology in American Party Politics Since 1960 (Kenneth Janda) Internet, Social Media Use and Political Participation in the 2013 Parliamentary Election in Germany (Reimar Zeh and Christina Holtz-Bacha) Part II: The Consequences of New Technologies on Activism The Decline of Activism in Political Parties: Adaptation Strategies and New Technologies (Eric Montigny) Party Activists and Partisan Communication in Quebec (Isabelle Gusse) Part III: The New Role Played by Social Networks Changing Communications? Political Parties and Web 2.0 in the 2011 New Zealand General Election (Ashley Murchison) Social Media and American Presidential Campaigns: The Dark Side of the Electoral Process (Karine Premont and Charles-Antoine Millette) Part IV: The Resilience of the Printed Press in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the British Press: Integration, Immigration and Integrity (David Deacon and Dominic Wring) Part V: New Technologies and Leadership Evolution Political parties and the Internet: changes in society, changing politics – the case of the Parti Quebecois (Guy Lachapelle) Political communication, electronic media and social networks in France (Philippe J. Maarek) Index of Proper NounsTable of Contents•Decline of Activism Within Political Parties: Coping Strategies and New Technologies •Innovations in Information Technology in American Party Politics Since •Social Media and the U.S. Presidential Campaigns: the Dark Side of the Electoral Process •Party Activists and Communications in Quebec •The United Kingdom Independence Party (UKIP) and the British Press: Integration, Immigration and Integrity •The French Political Communication and the Emergence of Electronic Media and Social Networks •Internet, Social Media Use and Political Participation in the 2013 Parliamentary Election in Germany •Changing Communications? Political Parties and Web 2.0 in the 2011 New Zealand General Election •Political Parties and the Internet: Social Changes and Political Transformations - the case of the Parti Quebecois

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Book SynopsisExamines the pamphlet war between Edmund Burke and the followers of Henry St John, First Viscount Bolingbroke during the mid-eighteenth century. In this book, the author points out that while parties have always existed, the party government that we know today is possible only because parties are now considered respectable.Trade Review"Many readers will be grateful to him for his candor and bravado." (Weekly Standard)"

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Book SynopsisThroughout the contest for the 2008 Democratic presidential nomination, politicians and voters alike worried that the outcome might depend on the preferences of unelected superdelegates. This book shows that for several decades, unelected insiders in both major parties effectively selected candidates long before citizens reached the ballot box.Trade Review"The Party Decides is an important book that will set a new standard for understanding the primary election process. The authors use history, anecdotes, and newspaper stories to great advantage, enriching the impressive collection of data they have compiled to support their argument that the nomination process is dominated by a mix of players, but is mainly based on partisans and policy demanders." - David Brady, Stanford University"

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Book SynopsisHowe studies the American Whigs with the thoroughness so often devoted their party rivals, the Jacksonian Democrats. He shows that the Whigs were not just a temporary coalition of politicians but spokesmen for a heritage of political culture received from Anglo-American tradition and passed on, with adaptations, to the Whigs' Republican successors. He relates this culture to both the country's economic conditions and its ethnoreligious composition.

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Book SynopsisWhy do majority congressional parties seem unable to act as an effective policy-making force? They routinely delegate their power to othersinternally to standing committees and subcommittees within each chamber, externally to the president and to the bureaucracy. Conventional wisdom in political science insists that such delegation leads inevitably to abdicationusually by degrees, sometimes precipitously, but always completely. In The Logic of Delegation, however, D. Roderick Kiewiet and Mathew D. McCubbins persuasively argue that political scientists have paid far too much attention to what congressional parties can't do. The authors draw on economic and management theory to demonstrate that the effectiveness of delegation is determined not by how much authority is delegated but rather by how well it is delegated. In the context of the appropriations process, the authors show how congressional parties employ committees, subcommittees, and executive agencies to accomplish policy goals. This innovative study will force a complete rethinking of classic issues in American politics: the autonomy of congressional committees; the reality of runaway federal bureaucracy; and the supposed dominance of the presidency in legislative-executive relations.

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Book SynopsisResearch on the US House of Representatives focuses on the effects of partisanship. In response to the recent increase in senatorial partisanship, this title presents a series of original essays that focus on the effects of parties in the workings of the upper chamber.Trade Review"Timely, sophisticated, and well written, this volume contains an unusual number of new and important pieces. There is no comparable book on Senate politics." - Steven S. Smith, Washington University in St. Louis"

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Book SynopsisTrade Review“Blum documents the history of the Tea Party with a diversity of evidence and methodological virtuosity. She argues that the Tea Party’s presence within the Republican Party is, essentially, a ‘party within a party,’ a new way of thinking about ‘intraparty mobilization’ as a strategy undertaken by movements. How the Tea Party Captured the GOP enjoys the properties of a must-read work for those who care about the future of the Republican Party—indeed, for those who care about the future of the country.” -- Christopher Sebastian Parker, University of Washington“For all the talk of polarization, we know less than we should about the pressures pushing parties away from the median, which makes this book particularly welcome. As Blum traces the relation between the Tea Party and the Republican Party that the insurgency sought, with great success, to push rightwards, she brings impressive evidence to bear, including long-form interviews with Tea Party activists, network analysis, and use of text-as-data.” -- Daniel Schlozman, Johns Hopkins University

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Book SynopsisThe rise of the Tea Party redefined both the Republican Party and how we think about intraparty conflict. What initially appeared to be an anti-Obama protest movement of fiscal conservatives matured into a faction that sought to increase its influence in the Republican Party by any means necessary. Tea Partiers captured the party's organizational machinery and used it to replace established politicians with Tea Partystyle Republicans, eventually laying the groundwork for the nomination and election of a candidate like Donald Trump. In How the Tea Party Captured the GOP, Rachel Marie Blum approaches the Tea Party from the angle of party politics, explaining the Tea Party's insurgent strategies as those of a party faction. Blum offers a novel theory of factions as miniature parties within parties, discussing how fringe groups can use factions to increase their political influence in the US two-party system. In this richly researched book, the author uncovers how the electoral losses oTrade Review“Blum documents the history of the Tea Party with a diversity of evidence and methodological virtuosity. She argues that the Tea Party’s presence within the Republican Party is, essentially, a ‘party within a party,’ a new way of thinking about ‘intraparty mobilization’ as a strategy undertaken by movements. How the Tea Party Captured the GOP enjoys the properties of a must-read work for those who care about the future of the Republican Party—indeed, for those who care about the future of the country.” -- Christopher Sebastian Parker, University of Washington“For all the talk of polarization, we know less than we should about the pressures pushing parties away from the median, which makes this book particularly welcome. As Blum traces the relation between the Tea Party and the Republican Party that the insurgency sought, with great success, to push rightwards, she brings impressive evidence to bear, including long-form interviews with Tea Party activists, network analysis, and use of text-as-data.” -- Daniel Schlozman, Johns Hopkins University

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Book SynopsisTo many observers, Congress has become a deeply partisan institution where ideologically-distinct political parties do little more than engage in legislative trench warfare. A zero-sum, winner-take-all approach to congressional politics has replaced the bipartisan comity of past eras. If the parties cannot get everything they want in national policymaking, then they prefer gridlock and stalemate to compromise. Or, at least, that is the conventional wisdom. In The Limits of Party, James M. Curry and Frances E. Lee challenge this conventional wisdom. By constructing legislative histories of congressional majority parties' attempts to enact their policy agendas in every congress since the 1980s and by drawing on interviews with Washington insiders, the authors analyze the successes and failures of congressional parties to enact their legislative agendas. ? Their conclusions will surprise many congressional observers: Even in our time of intense party polarization, bipartisanship remains the key to legislative success on Capitol Hill. Congressional majority parties today are neither more nor less successful at enacting their partisan agendas. They are not more likely to ram though partisan laws or become mired in stalemate. Rather, the parties continue to build bipartisan coalitions for their legislative priorities and typically compromise on their original visions for legislation in order to achieve legislative success.Trade Review“The Limits of Party a powerful and authoritative work that should invest our understandings and our classrooms. The book is rich in data and argument. The authors ask:  How much has congressional lawmaking changed during recent decades? The answer: Not as much as we might think! There is an awful lot of continuity in our cumbersome separation-of-powers system.” -- David Mayhew, Yale University“In this provocative and cogently-argued book, Curry and Lee demonstrate convincingly the very real limits of congressional majority party power. While contemporary congressional politics may be marked by highly partisan and centralized processes, the factors that govern lawmaking and legislative outcomes have remain largely unchanged over the past half-century. The authors show that laws are generally enacted with broad bipartisan support, and majority parties still face struggles to coordinate internally, even though they face fewer ideological divides than in the past. This important book adds nuance to the literature on party influence and serves as a meaningful corrective to arguments that polarization has changed everything about Congress. It will be deservedly widely read and discussed.” -- Tracy Sulkin, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign"I highly recommend this book not only to congressional scholars, but to those who work in and around the Congress. It offers a refreshingly new and counterintuitive perspective on what is really going on under that dome on the Hill, and why." * Congress & The Presidency *Table of ContentsOne / Majority Party Capacity in a Polarized Era Two / The Persistence of Bipartisan Lawmaking Three / Why Do Majority Parties Fail? Four / How Do Majority Parties Succeed? Five / Bipartisanship and the Decline of Regular Order Six / Credit Claiming and Blaming: How Members React to Legislation in Public Seven / Constancy and Continuities Acknowledgments Appendix A. Majority Party Agenda Priorities Appendix B. Additional Quantitative Analyses Appendix C. Notes on the Interviews Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisSince the Second World War, congressional parties have been characterized as declining in strength and influence. Research has generally attributed this decline to policy conflicts within parties, to growing electoral independence of members, and to the impact of the congressional reforms of the 1970s. Yet the 1980s witnessed a strong resurgence of parties and party leadershipespecially in the House of Representatives. Offering a concise and compelling explanation of the causes of this resurgence, David W. Rohde argues that a realignment of electoral forces led to a reduction of sectional divisions within the partiesparticularly between the northern and southern Democratsand to increased divergence between the parties on many important issues. He challenges previous findings by asserting that congressional reform contributed to, rather than restrained, the increase of partisanship. Among the Democrats, reforms siphoned power away from conservative and autocratic committee chairs and pu

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The book makes an important contribution to the growing body of research on what may be becoming the most pressing issue in contemporary American politics: political polarization." * Choice *“Kalmoe and Mason’s impressive theoretical insights and evidence on the causes and consequences of radical partisanship make their book the definitive account of violent partisan hostilities in twenty-first-century American politics. With the profound implications of those outstanding analyses exposed for the whole world to see during the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Radical American Partisanship has the potential to be one of the most important political science books in decades.” -- Michael Tesler, University of California, Irvine“This provocative book by two of political science’s rising stars asks readers to consider what only recently would have seemed implausible. Is American democracy on the brink? Will the kind of political violence that most Americans connect to remote outposts in other parts of the world become a feature of our own deeply polarized political system? Readers will find themselves deeply unsettled by Kalmoe and Mason’s evidence and conclusions.” -- Marc J. Hetherington, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill“A disturbing analysis of special interest to policymakers.” * Kirkus *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Recognizing Partisan Extremes Chapter 2. Radical Historical Roots Chapter 3. Radical Partisan Psychology Part I. Identifying Radical Partisans Chapter 4. The Scope of Radicalism Chapter 5. Trends: Stumbling toward a Breakdown Chapter 6. Who Are the Radical Partisans? Part II. Radical Behaviors and the Impact of Conditions and Events Chapter 7. From Radical Views to Aggressive Behavior Chapter 8. Historical Precedents and Reasons for Violence Chapter 9. Reactions to Election Losses and Violent Events Part III. Communicating Radicalism Chapter 10. Words Matter Chapter 11. The Future of Radical Partisanship: Risks and Opportunities Acknowledgments Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"The book makes an important contribution to the growing body of research on what may be becoming the most pressing issue in contemporary American politics: political polarization." * Choice *“Kalmoe and Mason’s impressive theoretical insights and evidence on the causes and consequences of radical partisanship make their book the definitive account of violent partisan hostilities in twenty-first-century American politics. With the profound implications of those outstanding analyses exposed for the whole world to see during the January 6 Capitol insurrection, Radical American Partisanship has the potential to be one of the most important political science books in decades.” -- Michael Tesler, University of California, Irvine“This provocative book by two of political science’s rising stars asks readers to consider what only recently would have seemed implausible. Is American democracy on the brink? Will the kind of political violence that most Americans connect to remote outposts in other parts of the world become a feature of our own deeply polarized political system? Readers will find themselves deeply unsettled by Kalmoe and Mason’s evidence and conclusions.” -- Marc J. Hetherington, University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill“A disturbing analysis of special interest to policymakers.” * Kirkus *Table of ContentsChapter 1. Recognizing Partisan Extremes Chapter 2. Radical Historical Roots Chapter 3. Radical Partisan Psychology Part I. Identifying Radical Partisans Chapter 4. The Scope of Radicalism Chapter 5. Trends: Stumbling toward a Breakdown Chapter 6. Who Are the Radical Partisans? Part II. Radical Behaviors and the Impact of Conditions and Events Chapter 7. From Radical Views to Aggressive Behavior Chapter 8. Historical Precedents and Reasons for Violence Chapter 9. Reactions to Election Losses and Violent Events Part III. Communicating Radicalism Chapter 10. Words Matter Chapter 11. The Future of Radical Partisanship: Risks and Opportunities Acknowledgments Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This book will stimulate great classroom discussions. Highly recommended." * Choice *"Matthew Levendusky’s book, Our Common Bonds, focuses on partisan divisions, but his methods and data are different from those of [other] authors. Rather than focusing on ideology or issue attitudes, his concern is affective polarization, or the growing hostility and mistrust Americans feel for the other party and its supporters—a trend that he, like many observers, sees as corrosive of democratic norms. . . He contends that these attitudes are based in part on misinformation about the other side and can be mitigated by reminders of shared identities: not only 'Americanness' but also more mundane connections like shared allegiance to sports teams, friendships, or family ties cutting across party lines." * Perspectives on Politics *“Twenty-first-century American politics has been defined by polarization. In two prior seminal books, Levendusky offered crucial insights into how ideological sorting and partisan media have shaped the ways in which citizens have polarized. This book is yet another foundational contribution, revealing what strategies can counteract dangerously high levels of affective polarization. The book greatly advances what we know about citizen reasoning, partisanship, and identity more generally. It is required reading for all who want to understand and improve American democracy. In short, Levendusky has yet again provided an agenda-setting book.” -- James N. Druckman, Northwestern University

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Book SynopsisDouglas Dillon advocated for evolution and reform over radicalism and placed the national interest above party interest. With exclusive access to the family’s archive, in The Dillon Era Richard Aldous sets fresh eyes on a well-documented period in American history, unfolding a deeply influential but somewhat overlooked political career.Trade Review“Douglas Dillon had one of the most important American public careers of the 1950s and 1960s. In this gracefully written and engaging book, Richard Aldous adroitly recounts Dillon’s role in the domestic and foreign policies of the United States in those years and his considerable influence on both.” Michael Mandelbaum, Johns Hopkins University and author of The Four Ages of American Foreign Policy: Weak Power, Great Power, Superpower, Hyperpower“Richard Aldous vividly brings to life a vastly underappreciated, extraordinarily accomplished “wise man” of the post-war period who played an outsized role in helping Ike, JFK, and LBJ navigate the Cold War and nourish prosperity for America and the world. With a fast-paced writing style, and with gripping detail that he uses to great effect, Aldous shows how the calm, courteous, measured, and understated Douglas Dillon grew from political neophyte to savvy Washington insider, from a Wall Street banker of great privilege to a tough, adroit, polished, and ultimately commanding figure of great U.S. and global influence. I learned a great deal from The Dillon Era, enjoyed the literary ride immensely, and can’t recommend it highly enough to Cold War historians and the general public alike.” Lawrence J. Haas, author of The Kennedys in the World: How Jack, Bobby, and Ted Remade America’s Empire“With vivid insights and lively prose, Richard Aldous resurrects a forgotten man of mid-twentieth-century America, a Wall Street banker who served Ike, JFK, and LBJ with equal loyalty and distinction – a natural balancer whose life makes for poignant reading in our polarized age.” David Reynolds, Cambridge University and author of America, Empire of Liberty“An informative, appreciative study of C. Douglas Dillon, secretary of the Treasury in the Kennedy administration … Mr. Aldous, a history professor at Bard College and the author of a well-regarded biography of Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr., makes a persuasive case for Dillon’s beneficial role in the tumultuous history of postwar America.” The Wall Street Journal"Aldous, a professor at Bard College in New York state, underscores Dillon’s achievements, portraying his seminal contributions to American foreign and economic policy. These are detailed in an excellent work of historical non-fiction. Calm, reasonable and measured, Dillon did not draw attention to himself; he just quietly shaped and implemented policy. Aldous’s study rescues Dillon from historical obscurity, illuminating an unsung figure." The Winnipeg Free Press

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Book SynopsisRe-examines a nineteenth-century strategy called fusion, in which a dominant-party candidate ran on the ballots of both the established party and a third party. This book concludes by analyzing the 2000 presidential election as an object lesson in the tyranny of the two-party system. It also includes suggestions for voting experiments.Trade ReviewDisch's book is strong and unique as it strays from many of the traps that plague third-party literature. Her book does not focus solely on a single party in an attempt to generalize from a unique example, nor does it fall prey to the "easy answer" syndrome: telling the reader why a third party erupted and why it could no longer retain its electoral viability. Disch presents a refreshingly unconventional take on American party history that is unique within this genre of party literature. -- Spencer Jones Congress and the Presidency Disch argues for the legal acceptibility of 'fusion' tickets in which candidates can appear on ballots as nominees of more than one party. Choice Fascinating and colorful -- Brian Doherty Reason [T]his book is a critique of the current partisan organization of American politics, its legal and institutional underpinnings, and a celebration of 'third party' alternatives to the political status quo... Disch provides both an interesting story of one reform effort and an enlightening analysis of how the status quo came to be. -- Keith E. Whittington Perspectives on PoliticsTable of ContentsIntroduction: The Tyranny of the Two-Party System The Politics of Electoral Fusion 1994-1997 The Politics of the Two-Party System The Two-Party System: A Genealogy of a Catchphrase The Teleological Temporality of the Two-Party System Oppositional Democracy and the Promise of Electoral Fusion Beyond the Tyranny of the Two-Party System

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Book SynopsisKenneth Janda sheds new light on the Republican Party’s transformations, drawing on a wide range of quantitative and qualitative evidence. He examines nearly three thousand planks from every Republican platform since 1856 as well as candidate statements and historical sources.Trade ReviewThis fascinating study traces the Republican Party’s view of the world and itself from birth to the present. Janda’s scholarship provides information and insights that people of good intention can employ to save this fast-failing political institution, which in turn threatens American democracy. This book belongs on the must-read list needed to save our two-party system and our democracy. -- John W. Dean, former Nixon White House counsel, author of Authoritarian Nightmare: Trump and His FollowersOutstanding! This book represents the definitive analysis of the Republican Party, its policy commitments, changes that have taken place over time, and how the party has evolved from its birth in 1856 to the cult of Trump in contemporary times. It stands out for the quality, originality, and comprehensiveness of its analysis. A tightly reasoned explanatory framework adds a historical perspective. The book sets the standard for the field. -- William Crotty, professor emeritus of political science, Northeastern UniversityJanda stunningly combines scholarly discoveries with worrisome insights into the realities of contemporary politics. His research on Republican ideology from Lincoln to Trump is—in one word—the best study of party platforms ever published. But, sadly, his unique research also reveals the deterioration of the once Grand Old Party to an ethnocentric tribe and personality cult that threatens the future of American democracy. -- Gerald Pomper, professor emeritus of political science, Rutgers UniversityCompeting political parties committed to democratic values and institutions are essential ingredients of pluralist democracy. But in recent years, as the highly respected comparative politics specialist Kenneth Janda shows, the Republican Party has been undermining rather than upholding essential democratic norms. The Republican Evolution is a timely analysis of a democracy in crisis, how America got there, and what needs to be done if the United States is to serve as inspiration rather than warning. -- Archie Brown, emeritus professor of politics, University of OxfordKenneth Janda’s The Republican Evolution is a persuasive analysis of what has happened to one of our two great political parties. The GOP once governed with competence and compassion under Lincoln, TR and Eisenhower, and once was a “champion of national authority and political equality.” But in the last half-century, Janda charts how it has become increasingly narrow and cramped, advocating states’ rights, defending racial inequalities and—in the recent past—become dominated by corrosive tribal politics and the destructive personality cult of Donald J. Trump. -- David H. Bennett, professor emeritus of history, Syracuse UniversityAn expansive and prescriptive study of the Grand Old Party since 1860, Janda’s The Republican Evolution highlights how divisive issues define but divide the modern Republican Party. Examining party platforms since 1856, Janda maps the evolution of the Republican Party on issues like trade policy, law and order, and civil rights, adeptly demonstrating how the Party moved from being the “Party of Lincoln” to an antigovernment party and diagnosing the ills of the party system along the way. This book is important for scholars of political parties and a must read for anyone concerned about American democracy. -- Brandon Rottinghaus, University of HoustonJanda’s book is the culmination of decades of research. His detailed analysis of how the Republican Party has abandoned its historical roots, going from a party of freedom to an insurgent outlier that represents an ongoing threat to our democratic institutions, is both timely and welcome. -- John Kenneth White, Catholic University of AmericaJanda gives us the long view of changes in the Republican Party, with observations of critical points and periods of transformation well supported by close examination of historical documents and presenting statistical evidence. This is an illuminating work potentially of interest to a wide readership, with suggestions for Republicans to regain connection with and to honor their roles in forming America's heritage. -- Jack Flynn, professor emeritus of history and geography, St. Catherine UniversityA very useful addition to classes on party, ideology, and social movements, and it provides plenty of useful grist for discussions among undergraduate and graduate students. -- Seth Masket * Presidential Studies Quarterly *That today’s Republican Party fundamentally differs from the party of old is something that few would venture to dispute. In this well-written, carefully researched book, Janda uses social-science tools to shed new light on the political history that nurtured that epochal change. * Survival *Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionPart I: Political Parties and Principles1. Political Parties2. Government Benefits3. Party Platforms and PrinciplesPart II: Republican Party Planks4. Beyond Liberal and Conservative5. Republican Platform Planks Since 1856Part III: Principles of Republicanism6. Original Principles7. Financing Government8. Economic Affairs9. Law and Order10. Culture and Order11. Conservation and Conservatives12. Elections13. Evolving to EthnocentrismPart IV: Republicans as Team, Tribe, and Cult14. Electoral Teams15. The Political Tribe16. The Personality CultPart V: Republican Restoration17. The Party in Peril18. A Republican EpiphanyEpilogue: The Next Republican EraAppendix A: Validating the CodingAppendix B: Accounting for All 2,722 Republican Platform PlanksAcknowledgmentsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisAuthoritarian Legacies and Democracy in Latin America and Southern Europe brings together well-known comparative political scientists to define and explore the effects of authoritarian rule in post-authoritarian regimes in Southern Europe, the Southern Cone, and Brazil. Contributors to this volume use the research of historians, social psychologists, anthropologists, and sociologists to formulate their conceptualizations of legacies. Their analysis is also sensitive to the experiences of those who live with the consequences of authoritarian regimes. Each chapter offers a multi-case comparison either from within Latin America or between Latin America and Southern Europe.Among the challenges for democracies in Latin America and Southern Europe are weakened political parties, politicized militaries, compromised judiciaries, corrupt police forces, and widespread citizen distrust. Utilizing a historical-sociological methodology that incorporates both the formal-legal and cuTrade Review“A superb point of entry into the rich and varied scholarship on real-world democracies after transitions from dictatorship. This coherent, well-edited collection has clearly benefited from interaction among different scholars and disciplines over time. It makes a persuasive case that the concept of ‘authoritarian legacies’ can be utilized with analytical rigor, attentive to the symbolic and expressive sides of politics as well as to institutions, interests, policies and power.” —Alexander Wilde, Ford Foundation“We know that sturdy democratic regimes are not built on prefabricated and interchangeable foundations, yet we understand very little about how local landscapes, particularly the shadow of the past, shape the familiar ideas and institutions of democracy. This book is a valuable contribution to our appreciation of the varied ways in which history, particularly authoritarian political history, molds democratic practice. Elegant case studies from Latin America and Southern Europe yield important lessons not only for regional scholars but for everyone interested in democratization and democracy promotion around the world.” —Lisa Anderson, Columbia University“This collection documents the hidden impediments to democratizing reforms, and recognizes the inherent limits of democratization in these two areas of the world. Recommended.” —Choice"The collection contains many interesting findings and arguments." —Political Studies Review"The work as a whole is interesting and in some ways illustrative. This reviewer has no doubt that historical analysis can help illuminate contemporary realities in all kinds of ways, and the articles in this collection broadly succeed in doing this. ...this edited collection includes some interesting discussion, and successfully illuminates some significant aspects of the behavior of state actors in Brazil and the southern cone of South America, and to a lesser extent elsewhere." —The Americas

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Book SynopsisThis book compares eastern and western German state legislators in the decade following unification.Trade Review"A volume in the series Contemporary European Politics and Society compares the political attitudes and values of east and west German state legislators after German reunification. Implications for successful democratization and institutional resilience are discussed." —Worldwide Political Science Abstracts "Contrasts the political attitudes and behavior of the state legislators in eastern and western Germany during the decade following the unification; finds little evidence that the easterners' values have hindered their adaptation to the new system." —The Chronicle of Higher Education"The emphasis on 'becoming' provides a unique perspective on when and how successful post-communist politicians of eastern Germany learn to function in a new democratic political system. This examination of state-level legislators concentrates on a discrete decade, shared by all post-communist countries, but under the unique circumstances of sudden absorption into west Germany. Using a wide range of materials, Becoming Party Politicians shows how legislators unlearn the anti-party attitudes and habits of the one-party state to become 'party politicians' in a multi-party nation." —David M. Olson, Professor Emeritus, University of North Carolina at Greensboro"This study builds on earlier research on the implications of the German model of post-communist transition; it asks important questions about the effects of transferring western German political institutions on eastern German legislators' behaviors. In its examination of the integration of two culturally distinct groups, Becoming Party Politicians has relevance well beyond the German case. Davidson-Schmich's analysis is sharp, tightly organized and accessible to undergraduates as well as advanced scholars." —Jennifer A. Yoder, Colby College"Becoming Party Politicians addresses an intriguing issue that in one form or another faces all new democracies: how, and how successfully, do such regimes acquire and socialize the political elites they need to lead them? In her exploration of that issue, and in her choice of members of east German state parliaments, Davidson-Schmich has written an interesting, well-researched, and well-executed study." —Thomas A. Baylis, University of Wisconsin

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Book SynopsisRobert Ross addresses a fascinating and unresolved constitutional question: why did political parties emerge so quickly after the framers designed the Constitution to prevent them? The text of the Constitution is silent on this question. Most scholars of the subject have taken that silence to be a hostile one, arguing that the adoption of the two-party system was a significant break from a long history of antiparty sentiments and institutional design aimed to circumscribe party politics.The constitutional question of parties addresses the very nature of representation, democracy, and majority rule. Political parties have become a vital institution of representation by linking the governed with the government. Efforts to uphold political parties have struggled to come to terms with the apparent antiparty sentiments of the founders and the perception that the Constitution was intended to work against parties.The Framers' Intentions connects political parties and tTrade Review“I found this to be an engaging text on the rise of political parties in early America. The entire book is thoroughly researched, and Robert Ross has clearly immersed himself in the literature. I believe that this book, although it analyzes political battles from over two hundred years ago, can speak to the American people in this era when we are so divided.” —William Bolt, Francis Marion University“Robert Ross has provided us with a provocative argument that contradicts scholarly wisdom regarding the emergence of a two-party system in the early American republic. Ross’s interpretation that the founders were not fighting against parties but rather manipulating their development as legitimate tools is a genuine contribution to the literature for both historians and political scientists.” —John Belohlavek, University of South Florida "Robert Ross challenges the received wisdom on the relationship between the Constitution and political parties. He shows that political parties became deeply entrenched in a constitutional order that was initially intended to work against them. He details how over the course of American political development the Constitution acquired new elements and interpretations that served to strengthen political parties. This book is a must read for scholars of political parties and of American political development." —Marc Landy, Boston College“The heart of this scholarly study is Ross’s thesis, which proposes to scholars that there is another way in which to view the Constitution’s transition from anti-party to party. . . . Ross offers a book that belongs on the library shelves of all academic institutions with advanced history and political science programs.” —Choice"The story of political parties' decline, and how that decline led to Congress's, has yet to be told. Until then, : The Framers' Intentions provides a valuable service by showing the essential role parties have played in making workable our republican government." —Claremont Review of BooksTable of ContentsIntroduction: Antipartyism and the Constitution: Reassessing the “Constitution-Against-Parties” Thesis 1.Antiparty Constitutionalism and the Tradition of Political Parties Partyism Before the Constitution 2.Partyism and the First Amendment: Organizing Opposition and the Partisan Press 3.Partyism and the Presidential Selection System: The Twelfth Amendment and Political Opposition 4.Partyism and Organized Opposition in Elections 5.Partyism and the Electoral College: Completing the Twelfth Amendment 6Partyism, the Election Clause, and the House of Representatives 7.Conclusion: Partyism and the Twenty-Fourth Amendment: Entrenching the Two-Party Constitution

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Book SynopsisAn account of liberal thought from its roots in 17th-century English thinking to the end of the 18th century. The author rescues the term "Whig" from the low regard attached to it, and argues that although Whigs may have strayed from liberal principles on occasion, many were true progressives.

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Book SynopsisIt is hard to imagine a book, essay or pamphlet outside of the Bible that has been more influential, and widely read, than Marx and Engels' "Communist Manifesto". Part of the "Rethinking the Western Tradition" series, this edition of the "Manifesto" features essays that address its relevance in the post-1989, post-Cold War world.

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Book SynopsisBuilding on the rich literatures in political science on coalitions, legislatures, and voting behaviour, this book weaves together sophisticated statistical analyses of foreign policy events across thirty European countries alongside in-depth case studies from Denmark, the Netherlands, and Finland.Table of Contents List of Figures List of Tables 1. Why Study Coalition Governments in Foreign Policy? 2. The Constraints and Opportunities of Coalition Foreign Policy: Moving Beyond the Dichotomy 3. From Parties to Coalitions: Explaining Foreign Policy Commitments in Post-Cold War Europe 4. Reaching ‘Across the Aisle’: Danish Commitments During the 1990 and 2003 Wars in Iraq 5. When Foreign Policy Spills Over: Dutch Support for the 2003 Iraq War 6. Loyal to Whom? Finland’s Decision to Join the Eurozone 7. “Governing Together,” Abroad: Conclusions and Implications Appendix Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisArgues that political parties are motivated to strategically blur their position on an issue when they struggle with a certain disadvantage in the issue. Specifically, political parties present an ambiguous position when their own supporters are divided in their stances on the issue.Trade Review“This is a great book for all political scientists eager to better understand how parties strategically act to ensure their vote share. Politicians and party elites could learn from the evidence here to think about their own choices.”— Sean McGraw, Boston College“Rationality of Irrationality is a highly promising book on position blurring as a partisan strategy and how voters respond to this strategy. Han expands on this recent wave of literature on position blurring with original ideas and inspiring analyses. A must-read for anyone interested in party strategies and their electoral effects.”— Christoffer Green-Pedersen, Aarhus UniversityTable of Contents List of Tables List of Figures List of Abbreviations 1. Introduction 2. A Theory of Position Blurring 3. Measuring Position Blurring 4. Position Blurring and Voter Behavior 5. Issue Disadvantage, Party Competition Environment, and Issue Avoidance 6. Radical Right-Wing Parties’ Position Blurring on the Economy 7. Social Democratic Parties’ Position Blurring on Immigration 8. Concluding Remarks Appendix References

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Book SynopsisThe rise of new political competitors on the radical right is a central feature of many contemporary European party systems. The first study of its kind based on a wide array of comparative survey data, this book provides a unifying framework to explain why rightist parties are electorally powerful in some countries but not in others.

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii-ix Chapter 1. Introduction 1 2. Tales of New and Old Political Parties 11 3. A Theoretical Model 37 4. Studying New Parties 65 5. The Emergence of New Parties 79 6. The Initial Success of New Parties 125 7. Conclusion 147 8. Appendix 151 References 189 Index 205

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Book SynopsisThe party whips are essential components of the US legislative system, responsible for marshalling party votes and keeping House and Senate party members in line. In The Whips, C. Lawrence Evans offers a comprehensive exploration of coalition building and legislative strategy in the US House and Senate.Trade ReviewThis is a superb treatment of an important subject. Every scholar of Congress, every practitioner of congressional politics, and every student, graduate and undergraduate, will learn important lessons about Congress from this book. The book is exceptionally well researched, written with flare, and remarkably comprehensive. The new data brought to bear on important issues is unparalleled in the field."" - Steven Smith, Washington University in St. Louis""Evans provides us with an engaging, well-written, and detailed study of the whip system that sheds new light on congressional coalition-building and intra-party politics. I highly recommend Evans's significant empirical and theoretical contribution to scholars' understanding of congressional party leadership, congressional procedure, members' voting decisions, and the legislative process more generally."" - Kathryn Pearson, University of Minnesota

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Book SynopsisIn 1950, the Committee on Political Parties of the American Political Science Association (APSA) published its much-anticipated report, Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System. Mark Wickham-Jones provides the first full, archival-based assessment of the arguments within APSA about political parties and the 1950 report.Trade ReviewThere is nothing like this book in print. No one has traced the inside story of how the famous APSA report got produced in anything like this depth. It is a fascinating story! Among other things, the book is a wonderful, unmatched window into American political science of the mid-20th century as its professionals went about their business."" - David Mayhew, Yale University""As much archaeologist as historian, Mark Wickham-Jones dug up sources—unpublished papers, letters, memos, oral histories—buried in multiple sites across the nation. Using these sources and hundreds of cited publications, he shows how interpersonal relationships among party politics scholars has affected our views of party government in the United States."" - Kenneth Janda, Northwestern University""In 1946 the American Political Science Association asked its best and brightest to conceive of a responsible party system for the brave new world. In this masterful political history, Mark Wickham-Jones recounts with gripping detail the APSA task force's struggles to reconcile a dilemma of governance. How could disciplined party power, necessary to implement the activist postwar agenda, be reconciled with political responsiveness to voices far from the cloakrooms of Congress? At this critical juncture in American politics, it behooves us to revisit the deliberations and legacies of our predecessors. The struggles of the task force are our own, and Wickham-Jones' suspenseful story should be required reading for anyone concerned about the promise, folly, and fate of American politics."" - Cathie Jo Martin, Boston University, Co-Chair of the 2013 American Political Science Association Presidential Task Force on Political Negotiation""As our parties today struggle to actually govern, this surprising and thoughtful book takes us back to a time when political scientists placed their highest hopes for more effective and democratic government in the party system."" - Jennifer Delton, Skidmore College

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Book SynopsisBuilds on work on coalition formation to propose a theory that works across countries and over time. The evidence comes from case studies of coalition formation in Austria and the Netherlands, where far-right parties have been excluded when they could have been included and included when the mainstream right had other options.Trade Review“The first book-length study of coalition formation with radical right parties. This book provides a useful narrative account of how mainstream-right parties have worked with and against the radical right, giving readers very important background information on key cases. It is likely to be read and cited extensively by those working on radical right parties in parliament and in government- a growing field.” - Markus Wagner, University of Vienna

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Book SynopsisSenator Jim Jeffords left the Republican Party in May 2001 and became an independent. Because he agreed to vote with the Democrats on organisational votes, this gave that party a 51-49 majority in the Senate. Using the “Jeffords switch”, Chris Den Hartog and Nathan W. Monroe examine how power is shared and transferred in the Senate.Trade ReviewA worthy professional contribution to the literature on the Senate, this book advances the debate on how parties make a difference in the Senate, and Congress more generally, with important new perspectives and empirical findings. Den Hartog and Monroe's inclusion of case study and elite interview material provide richness and welcome nuance to the analysis." - Bruce Oppenheimer, Vanderbilt University"A splendid example of scholars taking advantage of a natural quasi-experiment in a creative way, combining quantitative, qualitative, and case-study materials to weave a nuanced and compelling narrative. I think it will be a visible and well-cited contribution to the literatures on Congress and quasi-experimental design." - Walter Stone, University of California, Davis"This creative new book on the Jeffords Switch offers a nuanced examination of the role of majority parties in structuring outcomes in the U.S. Senate, since the authors have a chance to 'hold everything else constant' in their analysis within the same Congress." - Jamie L. Carson, University of Georgia

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Book SynopsisPresents history of the Romanian Communist Party. This title traces the origins of the once-tiny, clandestine revolutionary organization in the 1920s through the years of national power from 1944 to 1989 to the post-1989 metamorphoses of its members.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Why a History of Romanian Communism? 1. Understanding National Stalinism: Legacies of Ceausescu's Socialism 2. A Messianic Sect: The Underground Romanian Communist Party, 1921--1944 3. The Road to Absolute Power: From Quasi-Monarchy to People's Democracy, 1944--1948 4. Stalinism Unbound, 1948--1956 5. Aftershocks of the the CPSU's Twentieth Congress, 1957--1960 6. Opposing Khrushchevism: Gheorghiu-Dej and the Emergence of National Communism, 1960--1965 7. Ceausescu's Dynastic Communism, 1965--1989 Epilogue: The RCP's Afterlife: Where Did All The Members Go? 1989--2000 Appendix: The Romanian Communist Party's Leadership: A Biographical Roster Notes Select Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn the Spring of 2009, the Tea Party emerged onto the American political scene. This title brings together leading scholars and experts on the American Right to examine a political movement that electrified American society. It provides accounts of the movement's development at local and national levels.Trade Review"Steep is an important source for an understanding of the present and future polarization of US politics." Times Higher Education "Excellent... These essays bring a variety of disciplinary perspectives, and offer welcome evidence in support of their arguments... Recommended." -- D. R. Imig, University of Memphis Choice "Informative and deeply readable." -- Heath Brown New Books NetworkTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction: The Rise of the Tea Party Christine Trost and Lawrence Rosenthal Part I: What Manner of Movement? 1: The Tea Parties in Historical Perspective: A Conservative Response to a Crisis of Political Economy Charles Postel 2: Reframing Populist Resentments in the Tea Party Movement Chip Berlet 3. View from the Top: A Report on Six National Tea Party Organizations Devin Burghart 4: AstroTurf versus Grass Roots: Scenes from Early Tea Party Mobilization Clarence Y.H. Lo Part II: "The Real Americans": Motivation and Identity 5: The Tea Party: A "White Citizenship" Movement? Lisa Disch 6: The Past and Future of Race in the Tea Party Movement Joseph Lowndes 7: Of Mama Grizzlies and Politics: Women and the Tea Party Melissa Deckman Part III: New on the Bloc: Political Impact 8: Grand Old Tea Party: Partisan Polarization and the Rise of the Tea Party Movement Alan I. Abramowitz 9: The Future of the Tea Party: Scoring an Invitation to the Republican Party Martin Cohen 10: The Tea Party and Religious Right Movements: Frenemies with Benefits Peter Montgomery Epilogue About the Contributors Index

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