Author Description
The 2016 Election Of Donald J. Trump Invoked A Time For Reflection About The State Of American Politics And Its Deep Ideological, Cultural, Racial, Regional, And Economic Divisions. But One Aspect That The Contemporary Discussions Often Miss Is That These Fissures Have Been Opening Over Several Decades And Are Deeply Rooted In The Structure Of American Politics And Society. In Polarization: What Everyone Needs To Know® Nolan Mccarty Takes Readers Through What Scholars Know And Don't Know About The Origins, Development, And Implications Of Our Rising Political Conflicts, Delving Into Social, Economic, And Geographic Determinants Of Polarization In The United States. While The Current Political Climate Seems To Suggest That Extreme Views Are Becoming More Popular, Mccarty Also Argues That, Contrary To Popular Belief, The 2016 Election Was A Natural Outgrowth Of 40 Years Of Polarized Politics, Rather Than A Significant Break With The Past. He Evaluates Arguments Over Which Factors That Have Created This State Of Affairs, Including Gerrymandered Legislative Districts, Partisan Primary Nomination Systems, And Our Private Campaign Finance System. He Also Considers The Potential Of Major Reforms Such As Instating Proportional Representation Or Ranked Choice Voting To Remedy Extreme Polarization. A Concise Overview Of A Complex And Crucial Topic In Us Politics, This Book Is For Anyone Wanting To Understand How To Repair The Cracks In Our System.
Menrva's Summary
THE THESIS
This book investigates the structural origins and long-term development of political polarization in the United States, questioning whether recent electoral outcomes represent a sudden shift or a predictable result of decades-long trends. Nolan McCarty, a professor of politics and public affairs, utilizes extensive political science research to analyze how economic, social, and geographic factors have widened the divide between American political parties. He argues that the current state of affairs is the culmination of forty years of institutional and societal changes rather than an isolated event.
THE SCOPE MAP
What You Will Find
- Analysis of legislative redistricting and its impact on partisan behavior
- Evaluation of campaign finance systems and primary nomination processes
- Examination of socioeconomic and geographic determinants of political division
- Assessment of electoral reforms like ranked choice voting and proportional representation
Scope Limits
- The text does not provide a comprehensive history of every individual election cycle since the mid-20th century.
- It does not offer a definitive legislative roadmap for immediate policy implementation.
THE AUTHORITY PERSPECTIVE
Experts and political science scholars identify this work as a foundational, accessible overview of the mechanics behind American political gridlock. Readers frequently note the clarity of the prose, which distills complex institutional data into a format suitable for both students and general observers of the political landscape.
Page Count:
176
Publication Date:
2019-01-01
Publisher:
Oxford University Press
ISBN-10:
0190867795
ISBN-13:
9780190867799
Public Policy
Government
Sociology
American Politics