Party Polarization in Congress

The political parties in Congress are as polarized as they have been in 100 years. This book examines more than 30 years of congressional history to understand how it is that the Democrats and Republicans on Capitol Hill have become so divided. It finds that two steps were critical for this development. First, the respective parties' constituencies became more politically and ideologically aligned. Second, members ceded more power to their party leaders, who implemented procedures more frequently and with greater consequence. In fact, almost the entire rise in party polarization can be accounted for in the increasing frequency of and polarization on procedures used during the legislative process.

Table of Contents:
1. Party polarization in the US Congress; Part I. Building Blocks for Explaining Party Polarization: 2. A brief history of party polarization; 3. Explanations for party polarization; Part II. Constituency Change: 4. Redistricting; 5. The political and geographic sorting of constituents; 6. Extremisms of party activists; Part III. Institutional Change: 7. Connecting constituency change to institutional change; 8. The interaction in the legislative process; 9. The link between the House and Senate; 10. Procedural polarization in the US Congress.

About the Author :
Professor Theriault received his Ph.D. in political science from Stanford University in 2001. He is now an Associate Professor at the University of Texas at Austin, where he has received numerous teaching awards. His first book, The Power of the People: Congressional Competition, Media Attention, and Public Retribution, was published in 2005. His articles have appeared in numerous journals, including the Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies Quarterly, Social Science History, and American Politics Research. Professor Theriault resides with his partner, Anthony Bristol, in Houston and Austin, Texas.

Review :
"Sean Theriault has done something far too rare in the study of American politics: provided a truly synthetic account of a vital political development, the dramatic polarization of Congress over the last generation. Mixing rigorous analysis with revealing stories and careful consideration of alternative explanations, Theriault's book is a one-stop source for those wishing to understand why Republicans and Democrats just can't get along in the modern Congress." -Jacob S. Hacker, Professor of Political Science, University of California, Berkeley "Sean Theriault gracefully integrates the many explanations that have been offered for the increasing party polarization evident in the US Congress. He compellingly argues that as congressional districts become more homogeneous, party leaders become stronger and thus better positioned to employ procedural strategies that exacerbate party polarization. All told, Party Polarization in Congress is a creative, synthetic, and extremely valuable treatment of one of the most intensely studied topics in modern American politics." -John R. Hibbing, University of Nebraska-Lincoln "Probably no topic has received more attention from analysts of American politics over the last couple of decades than partisan polarization. In this book, Sean Theriault has substantially advanced our understanding of the many facets of that phenomenon. He deals with the electoral sources of polarization, including the roles of redistricting, geographic sorting, and party activists. Theriault also assesses the relationship between these electoral roots and the evolution of legislative procedures, and their effect in turn on elite polarization in both the House and Senate. This is an exceptional book, valuable and accessible to congressional researchers and undergraduate students alike." -David Rohde, Duke University