This book presents a model for examining problems of institutional change and applies it to American economic development in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. The authors develop their model of institutional change. They argue that if external economic factors make an increase in income possible but not attainable within the existing institutional structure, new organizations must be developed to achieve the potential in income. Their model is designed to explain the type and timing of these necessary changes in institutional organization. Individual, voluntary cooperative, and governmental arrangements are included in the discussion, although the latter differs considerably from the first two.

Legislative term limits adopted in the 1990s are in effect in fifteen states today. This reform is arguably the most significant institutional change in American government of recent decades. Most of the legislatures in these fifteen states have experienced a complete turnover of their membership; hundreds of experienced lawmakers have become ineligible for reelection, and their replacements must learn and perform their jobs in as few as six years. Now that term limits have been in effect long enough for both their electoral and institutional effects to become apparent, their consequences can be gauged fully and with the benefit of hindsight. In the most comprehensive study of the subject, editors Kurtz, Cain, and Niemi and a team of experts offer their broad evaluation of the effects term limits have had on the national political landscape. "The contributors to this excellent and comprehensive volume on legislative term limits come neither to praise the idea nor to bury it, but rather to speak dispassionately about its observed consequences. What they find is neither the horror story of inept legislators completely captive to strong governors and interest groups anticipated by the harshest critics, nor the idyll of renewed citizen democracy hypothesized by its more extreme advocates. Rather, effects have varied across states, mattering most in the states that were already most professionalized, but with countervailing factors mitigating against extreme consequences, such as a flight of former lower chamber members to the upper chamber that enhances legislative continuity. This book is must reading for anyone who wants to understand what happens to major institutional reforms after the dust has settled." ---Bernard Grofman, Professor of Political Science and Adjunct Professor of Economics, School of Social Sciences, University of California, Irvine "A decade has passed since the first state legislators were term limited. The contributors to this volume, all well-regarded scholars, take full advantage of the distance afforded by this passage of time to explore new survey data on the institutional effects of term limits. Their book is the first major volume to exploit this superb opportunity." ---Peverill Squire, Professor, Department of Political Science, University of Iowa Karl T. Kurtz is Director of the Trust for Representative Democracy at the National Conference of State Legislatures. Bruce Cain is Heller Professor of Political Science and Director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at the University of California at Berkeley, and the Director of the University of California Washington Center. Richard G. Niemi is Don Alonzo Watson Professor of Political Science at the University of Rochester.

How politics in America works today, how it got that way, and how it’s likely to change through reform—these are the themes that pervade every chapter of Cal Jillson’s highly lauded American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change. Even in the midst of current challenges, America’s past is present in all aspects of the contemporary political system. Jillson uses political development and the dynamics of change as a thematic tool to help students understand how politics works now—and how institutions, participation, and policies have evolved over time to produce the contemporary political environment. In addition, Jillson helps students think critically about how American democracy might evolve further, focusing in every chapter on reform and further change. New to the 12th Edition: Assesses the characteristics and results of the Trump administration and the policy and tonal changes of the early Biden adminstration. Describes numerous ways in which the American political system has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic Assesses the implications of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and what it implies for our political culture and partisan politics. Assesses the implication of "fake news" and "the move to mobile" for our politics. Explores the evidence for increasing polarization in public opinion, voting behavior, and the work of Congress and the courts.. Details the impact that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had on President Biden’s attempt to rebuild U.S. national security alliances.

In this introductory American politics text, Cal Jillson provides not only a sense of how politics works today but also how institutions, systems, political participation, and policies have developed over time to produce today's political environment in the United States. This historical context provides the necessary backdrop for students to understand why things work the way they do now. Going one step further, the book identifies critical reforms and how American democracy might work better. In a streamlined presentation, Jillson delivers a concise and engaging narrative to help students understand the complexities and importance of American politics. Key features: The 4th edition is thoroughly updated, including full analysis of the 2006 mid-term elections and shift in partisan control of Congress. Chapter-opening Focus Questions; illustrative figures and charts; "Let's Compare" and "Pro & Con" boxes; key terms; time lines; and end-of-chapter suggested readings and web resources. Companion website for students (http://americangovernment.routledge.com) features chapter summaries, focus questions, practice quizzes, glossary flashcards, participation activities, and links. Instructor's resources on the web and on CD-ROM, including Testbank, Instructor's Manual, figures and tables from the text, and lecture outlines.

An analytical framework for explaining the ways in which institutions and institutional change affect the performance of economies is developed in this analysis of economic structures.

How politics in America works today, how it got that way, and how it's likely to change through reform--these are the themes that pervade every chapter of Cal Jillson's highly lauded American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change. Even in the midst of current challenges, America's past is present in all aspects of the contemporary political system. Jillson uses political development and the dynamics of change as a thematic tool to help students understand how politics works now--and how institutions, participation, and policies have evolved over time to produce the contemporary political environment. In addition, Jillson helps students think critically about how American democracy might evolve further, focusing in every chapter on reform and further change. New to the 10th Edition Assesses the characteristics and early results of the Trump administration. Covers the 2018 midterm elections and looks ahead to the 2020 presidential race. Explores the political and judicial fights over ballot integrity and gerrymandering. Examines challenges to civil liberties in the wake of Charlottesville, the Muslim ban, and NSA warrantless surveillance. Discusses the MeToo movement in the context of civil rights. Includes important Supreme Court events and decisions including the confirmation of Justice Gorsuch. Presents new material on race, ethnicity, gender, and political participation, especially in the context of social media. Details Republican tax cuts and their likely impact on deficits and debt. Discusses the Trump administration's climate change strategy and the December 2017 National Security Strategy of the United States, looking ahead to security challenges in Korea and the Middle East. Updates all data in tables and figures through the 2018 midterms. Features In a streamlined presentation, Jillson delivers a concise and engaging narrative to help students understand the complexities and importance of American politics. Along the way, several pedagogical features foster critical thinking and analysis: Key learning objectives at the beginning of every chapter focus students on the central learning objectives. "The Constitution Today" chapter opening vignettes illustrate the importance of conflicting views on constitutional principles. Key terms are defined in the margins on the page where they appear help students study important concepts. Colorful figures and charts help students visualize important information. "Let's Compare" boxes analyze how functions of government and political participation work in other countries--now framed by new critical thinking questions. Reformatted "Pro & Con" boxes bring to life a central debate in each chapter and highlight competing perspectives; new discussion questions in each box prompt students to weigh the different arguments and weigh in. End-of-chapter summaries, suggested readings, and web resources help students master the material and guide them to further critical investigation of important concepts and topics.

From the 1910 overthrow of "Czar" Joseph Cannon to the reforms enacted when Republicans took over the House in 1995, institutional change within the U.S. Congress has been both a product and a shaper of congressional politics. For several decades, scholars have explained this process in terms of a particular collective interest shared by members, be it partisanship, reelection worries, or policy motivations. Eric Schickler makes the case that it is actually interplay among multiple interests that determines institutional change. In the process, he explains how congressional institutions have proved remarkably adaptable and yet consistently frustrating for members and outside observers alike. Analyzing leadership, committee, and procedural restructuring in four periods (1890-1910, 1919-1932, 1937-1952, and 1970-1989), Schickler argues that coalitions promoting a wide range of member interests drive change in both the House and Senate. He shows that multiple interests determine institutional innovation within a period; that different interests are important in different periods; and, more broadly, that changes in the salient collective interests across time do not follow a simple logical or developmental sequence. Institutional development appears disjointed, as new arrangements are layered on preexisting structures intended to serve competing interests. An epilogue assesses the rise and fall of Newt Gingrich in light of these findings. Schickler's model of "disjointed pluralism" integrates rational choice theory with historical institutionalist approaches. It both complicates and advances efforts at theoretical synthesis by proposing a fuller, more nuanced understanding of institutional innovation--and thus of American political development and history.