Revolving gridlock : politics and policy from Carter to Clinton / David W. Brady, Craig Volden.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Brady, David W.

Contributor:

Volden, Craig.

Series:

Transforming American politics

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Coalition governments.

United States--Politics and government--1993-.

United States.

Politics and government.

Coalition governments--United States.

United States. Congress. House.

Physical Description:

xiii, 206 pages : illustrations ; 23 cm.

Place of Publication:

Boulder, Colo : Westview Press, 1998.

Summary:

Since the elections of 1994 and the return of divided government, we are once again hearing a lot of complaints about government gridlock. Here, political scientists David Brady and Craig Volden demonstrate that gridlock is not a product of divided government, party politics, or any of the usual scapegoats. It is, instead, an instrumental part of American government - built into our institutions and sustained by leaders acting rationally not only to achieve set goals but to thwart foolish inadvertencies. Looking at key legislative issues from the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations, the authors clearly and carefully analyze important crux points in lawmaking: the swing votes, the veto, the filibuster. The authors show that - contrary to conventional wisdom - government gridlock may ensure system stability and democracy rather than detract from the democratic process.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 189-196) and index.

ISBN:

0813325889

0813325897

OCLC:

37109147