Parties, Politics, And Public Policy in America

Even in the face of competition from individual candidates, interest groups, and the mass media, American political parties have undergone a resurgence in recent years, surprising both scholars and pundits alike. It is this revitalization of the parties that authors Hetherington and Keefe explore and analyze, grappling with the question of why so many Americans today profess anti-party attitudes yet behave in party-centered ways. Firm landmarks on the political scene, parties continue to form the principal institution for popular control of government.

Thoroughly updated and revised, the tenth edition includes:

• data and analysis of the 2004 elections integrated into every chapter and reflected in the book's many tables and figures
• exploration of the effects of campaign finance reform on the electoral system
• examination of important and continuing trends such as the coalescing of the parties into regional power bases and the increasing homogeneity of the parties' demographic makeup
• revamped discussion of party coalitions
• greater development of the polarization argument to underscore the values at the heart of the debate, and to look at polarization's impact on the parties and on Congress, discussing some of the devices party leaders use to ensure that caucus members vote along party lines