The contemporary American political landscape has been marked by two paradoxical transformations: the emergence after 1960 of an increasingly activist state, and the rise of an assertive and politically powerful conservatism that strongly opposes activist government. Leading young scholars take up these issues in The Transformation of American Politics. Arguing that even conservative administrations have become more deeply involved in managing our economy and social choices, they examine why our political system nevertheless has grown divided as never before over the extent to which government should involve itself in our lives. The contributors show how these two closely linked trends have influenced the reform and running of political institutions, patterns of civic engagement, and capacities for partisan mobilization--and fueled ever-heightening conflicts over the contours and reach of public policy. These transformations not only redefined who participates in American politics and how they do so, but altered the substance of political conflicts and the capacities of rival interests to succeed. Representing both an important analysis of American politics and an innovative contribution to the study of long-term political change, this pioneering volume reveals how partisan discourse and the relationship between citizens and their government have been redrawn and complicated by increased government programs. The contributors are Andrea Louise Campbell, Jacob S. Hacker, Nolan McCarty, Suzanne Mettler, Paul Pierson, Theda Skocpol, Mark A. Smith, Steven M. Teles, and Julian E. Zelizer.

List of Figures viiList of Tables ix
List of Contributors xi
INTRODUCTION 1
CHAPTER ONE: American Politics in the Long Run by Paul Pierson and Theda Skocpol 3


PART ONE: The Shifting Political Landscape 17
CHAPTER TWO
The Rise and Reconfiguration of Activist Government by Paul Pierson 19
CHAPTER THREE: Government Activism and the Reorganization of American Civic Democracy by Theda Skocpol 39
CHAPTER FOUR: Parties, Electoral Participation, and Shifting Voting Blocs by Andrea Louise Campbell 68


PART TWO: Conservatives on the Rise 103
CHAPTER FIVE: Seizing Power: Conservatives and Congress since the 1970s by Julian E. Zelizer 105
CHAPTER SIX: Economic Insecurity, Party Reputations, and the Republican Ascendance by Mark A. Smith 135
CHAPTER SEVEN: Conservative Mobilization against Entrenched Liberalism by Steven M. Teles 160


PART THREE: Policy and Politics in the New American Polity 189
CHAPTER EIGHT: The Transformed Welfare State and the Redistribution of Political Voice by Suzanne Mettler 191
CHAPTER NINE: The Policy Effects of Political Polarization by Nolan McCarty 223
CHAPTER TEN: Tax Politics and the Struggle over Activist Government by Jacob S. Hacker and Paul Pierson 256
CONCLUSION 281
CHAPTER ELEVEN: Political Development and Contemporary American Politics by Paul Pierson and Theda Skocpol 283
References 295
Index 321