This volume, with contributions from some of the most noted scholars of political parties, brings together assessments of changes to provide a comprehensive overview of current trends in the field of American political parties.

New York contains greater diversity than almost any other state. This diversity creates extensive social and political conflict within the state. Governing New York State, Sixth Edition provides expert assessment of how these conflicts are organized and represented, and how the political process and political institutions work in an effort to resolve them. Contributors explore the role of political parties and interest groups in representing these concerns. They also review the nature of the legislature, the governor, the courts, and public authorities as well as how these institutions...

This study proposes and assesses an alternative explanation of the changes in the relationship between presidential and House of Representatives election results during the last century. Jeffrey M. Stonecash argues that the separation of presidential and House election results that occurred from the 1960s to 1980 was a party-driven process, with both parties seeking to change their electoral base. Republicans sought a more conservative electoral base to counter what they saw as disturbing liberal trends in the nation. Democrats sought to reduce their reliance on the South and its...

Party polarization in the House of Representatives has increased in recent decades. Explaining this development has been difficult, given current interpretations of American elections. The dominant framework for interpreting elections has been to see them as candidate-centered, or individualistic. This framework may have seemed appropriate as a way