Policymaking in Red and Blue: Asymmetric Partisan Politics and American Governance
37 Pages Posted: 14 Aug 2014
Date Written: 2014
Abstract
Scholars use the same theories of the policy process to explain American policymaking regardless of the party in charge of government and have largely ignored differences between the goals and governing styles of Democrats and Republicans. We argue that the Republican Party is united by ideological goals whereas the Democratic Party is a coalition of social groups. The demands of the two parties’ bases and the sources of their public support differ, leading Republican politicians to discuss policy in broad strokes and Democratic politicians to emphasize particular policies aimed at each constituency. Democratic governance brings forward a coalition of diverse interest groups with programmatic demands, leading to more extensive policymaking. Republican governance breeds skepticism within a base opposed to expanded government. This divergence necessitates revisions to each of the major theories of the policy process, especially to enable scholars to explain the intransigence of the contemporary Republican Party.
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