The Long Great Society: Macro Politics, Governing Networks, and American Policy History

Abstract

From 1961-1976, in the most important period of American policymaking since World War II, the American federal government enacted hundreds of significant new public policies that dramatically expanded its scope and responsibility. The period effect associated with this era is the most important determinant of changes in the productivity and policy direction of all branches of government since 1945. The extensive liberal policymaking in this era was made possible by its unique governing network, a large and diverse community with a core of actors led by the presidents that was responsible for sustained policymaking across issue areas. To understand these system-level changes in federal policymaking, I aggregate information from 120 books and 23 articles that review the history of domestic public policy in 12 issue areas. I use this record to assess when and where policymaking took place and who was responsible. The histories collectively uncover 687 notable policy enactments and credit 1,037 specific actors for their role in policy change. Rather than a policymaking system responsive to public opinion or party control, what emerges is a single unique era driven by system-level changes in the national governing network.