Compromise in an age of party polarization / Jennifer Wolak.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Wolak, Jennifer, author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online.

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Political ethics--United States.

Political ethics.

United States--Politics and government--Public opinion.

United States.

United States. Congress--Rules and practice.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (240 pages).

Place of Publication:

New York, New York : Oxford University Press, [2020]

Summary:

Congressional debates are increasingly defined by gridlock and stalemate, with partisan showdowns that lead to government shutdowns. Compromise in Congress seems hard to reach. But do politicians deserve all the blame? Legislators who resist concessions and stand firm to their convictions might be doing just what voters want them to do. If this is true, however, then citizens must shoulder some of the responsibility for gridlock in Congress. This book challenges this wisdom and argues that Americans value compromise as a way to resolve differences in times of partisan division. Using evidence from a variety of surveys and innovative experiments, the book demonstrates that citizens want more from politics than just ideological representation - they also care about the processes by which disagreements are settled.

Contents:

The challenges of compromise

Public support for political compromise

Compromise as a democratic value

The bounds of public support for compromise

Partisan motives and consideration of compromise

Campaigns, competition, and support for political compromise

Policymaking, procedural justice, and support for compromise

Do people want members of Congress to compromise?

Support for compromise in principle and in practice

Conclusion.

Notes:

Also issued in print: 2020.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

ISBN:

0-19-751052-3

0-19-751053-1

0-19-751051-5