The Disappearing Center: Engaged Citizens, Polarization, and American Democracy

by Alan I. Abramowitz

Overview

Renowned political scientist Alan I. Abramowitz presents a groundbreaking argument that the most important divide in American politics is not between left and right but rather between citizens who are politically engaged and those who are not. It is th

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780300168297
Publisher:	Yale University Press
Publication date:	01/25/2011
Edition description:	New Edition
Pages:	208
Product dimensions:	5.70(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.60(d)

About the Author

Alan I. Abramowitz is the Alben W. Barkley Professor of Political Science at Emory University.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Polarization in the Age of Obama 1

2 The Engaged Public 15

3 Partisan-Ideological Polarization 34

4 Polarization and Social Groups 62

5 Polarization and Elections 84

6 Polarization in a Changing Electorate 111

7 Polarization and Representation 139

8 Polarization and Democratic Governance 158

Notes 173

Index 187

What People are Saying About This

Thomas Byrne Edsall

Alan Abramowitz has produced a definitive work on the consequences of a divided electorate in elections, in policy making, and in the capacity for winners to govern. The Disappearing Center is a major contribution to the study of contemporary American politics.(Thomas Edsall, author of Building Red America and Chain Reaction)

Larry J. Sabato

No one is better at analyzing the American voter than Alan Abramowitz. In this exceptionally revealing volume, Professor Abramowitz convincingly explains one of the most discussed phenomena of our time, political polarization.(Larry J. Sabato, author of A More Perfect Constitution)

Bill Bishop

Alan Abramowitz explains the most pressing political problem of the day—how Americans have grown so politically divided that they barely speak the same language.(Bill Bishop, author of The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart)

Editorial Reviews

"If you’re interested in getting beyond the standard handwringing and calls for bipartisanship, read this exceptionally clear and well-argued book.”—Ruy Teixeira, co-author of The Emerging Democratic Majority

Ruy Teixeira

"Among all the academics who write on American politics, Abramowitz is one of the most original, interesting, and convincing, and one of the smartest....[he] has new things to say about polarization. His focus here on the engaged versus the unengaged is a nice move. Also, he organizes recognized material about the subject in a way that beats the competition.”—David Mayhew, Yale University

David Mayhew

“No one is better at analyzing the American voter than Alan Abramowitz. In this exceptionally revealing volume, Professor Abramowitz convincingly explains one of the most discussed phenomena of our time, political polarization.”—Larry J. Sabato, author of A More Perfect Constitution

Larry J. Sabato

"Alan Abramowitz explains the most pressing political problem of the day—how Americans have grown so politically divided that they barely speak the same language."—Bill Bishop, author of The Big Sort: Why the Clustering of Like-Minded America is Tearing Us Apart

Bill Bishop

"Abramowitz admirably tackles many dimensions of a complex debate. . . . the book is an important text for both new and old students of polarization in American politics."—Hahrie Han, Public Opinion Quarterly

Public Opinion Quarterly - Hahrie Han

“Alan Abramowitz has produced a definitive work on the consequences of a divided electorate in elections, in policy making, and in the capacity for winners to govern. The Disappearing Center is a major contribution to the study of contemporary American politics.”—Thomas Edsall, author of Building Red America and Chain Reaction

Thomas Byrne Edsall

"[An] important and persuasive new book."--Ethan Porter, Wilson Quarterly

Wilson Quarterly - Ethan Porter

While many Americans worry over the rise of partisan politics, Emory University political science professor Abramowitz (Voice of the People) finds reason to celebrate: the increasing ideological divide, he argues, has engaged more people while making the stakes in elections more clear, resulting in dramatically higher voter turnout (the 2008 election had the highest turnout "in more than four decades") and a populace that's more politically involved-whether campaigning directly, speaking with friends, contributing money or simply putting up yard signs. Statistics show that the "proportion of pure independents in the electorate has been declining since 1970"; party loyalty today is based not on social group identification (as in FDR's "New Deal Coalition") but ideological beliefs, creating more disciplined Republican and Democratic voting blocs. Abramowitz admits that this can become paralyzing in U.S. democracy (as opposed to parliamentary democracies) when the executive and legislative branches are controlled by different parties, making bipartisan cooperation not just unlikely, but politically damaging, and giving those few moderates who remain outsized importance. Abramowitz bolsters his thought-provoking conclusions with 67 tables and charts.
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Publishers Weekly

"[An] important and persuasive new book."--Ethan Porter, Wilson Quarterly

— Ethan Porter

Wilson Quarterly