Mobilization, Representation, and Responsiveness in the American Democracy

1. Front Matter

   Pages i-xiv

   PDF

2. Introduction

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 1-1

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   2. Constitutional Crisis, Norm Derogation, and the Broader Impact of Partisan Polarization in Contemporary American Politics

      • Michael T. Oswald, John D. Robertson

      Pages 3-36

   3. Transformation of Democracy? Mobilization, Representation, and Responsiveness

      • Michael T. Oswald, Elena Broda

      Pages 37-40

3. Institutions of Democracy and the Democratic Rule

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 41-41

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   2. A Wolf in Wolf’s Clothing: The Trumpian Style™ in American Politics

      • Alisa Kessel

      Pages 43-61

   3. The Politics of Removal: The Impeachment of a President

      • Patrick Horst

      Pages 63-104

   4. The Transformation of the Congressional Primary

      • Mike Cowburn

      Pages 105-120

   5. The US Supreme Court: Source of or Barrier to Polarization?

      • Sebastian Dregger

      Pages 121-136

4. Socio-cultural and Technological Challenges of Democracy

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 137-137

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   2. When Inequalities Matter Most: The Crisis of Democracy as a Crisis of Trust

      • Christian Lammert, Boris Vormann

      Pages 139-156

   3. From 2016 to 2020: It’s the Economy, Still

      • Michael T. Oswald, Elena Broda

      Pages 157-174

   4. Future Unknown: How Digital Technologies and the ‘Future of Work’ Are Unsettling America

      • Natalie Rauscher

      Pages 175-189

   5. From Democracy to Oligarchy? The Power of Property in the United States

      • Jörg Hebenstreit

      Pages 191-205

5. Populism–Polarization–Protest

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 207-207

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   2. Does Identity Trump Everything? Nativist Anxieties Within the Republican Party and the Future Political Relevance of Ethnic and Racial Identities

      • Philipp Adorf

      Pages 209-227

   3. A “Journey for Justice”: Immigrant Mobilization in Response to the Revocation of TPS

      • Ana-Constantina Frost

      Pages 229-244

   4. Transforming Democracy and Partisanship: Globalization and Its Counter-Movements in the US

      • Betsy Leimbigler

      Pages 245-260

6. America and Global Democracy

   1. Front Matter

      Pages 261-261

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   2. America and the Changing Global Order

      • John (Jack) M. Thompson

      Pages 263-278

This edited volume investigates America’s  transforming democracy as it faces the challenges and developments of the 21^st century—challenges and developments that have brought deep dissatisfaction, cultural fragmentation, and economic indignation. Although political power remains in the hands of the people, a fundamental incapability to compromise has locked policymakers in a permanent stalemate. In this legislative paralysis, grassroots movements build more and more momentum amidst regular protests and civil disobedience. This new political vigor and dynamism is dualistic, portending either a future of falsehoods and authoritarianism or a more empowering and direct form of democracy. This book ultimately seeks to understand how the US government is frantically adjusting to these sharp cultural, technological, and economic changes.

• American democracy
• Democracy mobilization
• Democratic representation
• Democratic responsiveness
• Democratic inequality
• Democracy viability
• Democratic partisanship
• Democratic hegemony
• Liberal democracy
• Digital news and democracy
• Party fragmentation
• Fake news and democracy
• US demographic change
• Trump aesthetics
• Democracy and Supreme Court
• America four-party system
• Democracy future of work
• Liberal World Order
• 2018 election
• German Association for American Studies
• us politics

“Just a few months into the Trump administration, it was clear US democracy was facing a crisis that threatened the foundations of the republic. Political institutions, the rule of law, and the liberal principles on which they have stood have been uprooted. While it will be some years before analysts have a complete understanding of the causes and consequences of this crisis, the essays in this volume identify and explore several of the underlying factors and dynamics that are sure to be part of scholarly examinations and explanations over the long term.” (Kerry L. Haynie, Associate Professor of Political Science, Duke University, USA)

“This volume yields tremendous insight into the exceptionally polarized state of American politics today. Authored largely by experts who work outside the United States, the volume presents a unique and valuable perspective and benefits from the inclusion of essays from scholars who are simultaneously able to think carefully and deeply about American politics while being able to do so from a step removed. Mobilization, Representation, and Responsiveness in the American Democracy is recommended for undergraduate and graduate studies alike, as well as for any thoughtful reader who seeks to know more about contemporary American politics from a particularly European perspective.” (Justin S. Vaughn, co-author of Czars in the White House: The Rise of Policy Czars as Presidential Management Tools (2015))

 

 

• University of Passau, Passau, Germany

  Michael T. Oswald

Michael T. Oswald is Assistant Professor and the Chair for Political Science at the University of Passau, Germany, Research Associate at the John F. Kennedy Institute, Free University of Berlin, Germany, and Visiting Scholar at Harvard University, USA.

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