Congressional Polarization and Political Trust
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Eric M. Uslaner
Eric M. Uslaner is Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland–College Park. He is Senior Research Fellow, Center for American Law and Political Science, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing, China and Honorary Professor of Political Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
Abstract
Americans have become less trusting of their federal government since the late 1950s. Most accounts of trust in government are based upon the performance of the economy. I argue that two additional factors are essential for understanding the sharp fall in trust in government in recent years: the level of partisan polarization in the Congress (as reflected in the ideological distance between the parties on roll calls) and the inability of Congress to enact legislation (gridlock).
About the author
Eric M. Uslaner is Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland–College Park. He is Senior Research Fellow, Center for American Law and Political Science, Southwest University of Political Science and Law, Chongqing, China and Honorary Professor of Political Science, University of Aarhus, Denmark.
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©2015 by De Gruyter
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Congressional Polarization and Political Trust
- Declining Trust in Congress: Effects of Polarization and Consequences for Democracy
- Poor Performance by Government: A Functional Explanation of Public Disaffection
- The Strategic Promotion of Distrust in Government in the Tea Party Age
- “Why Polarized Trust Matters”
- Young Voters, Declining Trust and the Limits of “Service Politics”
- In Government We Distrust: Citizen Skepticism and Democracy in the United States
- American Politics: “Broken” Since 1885
- Book reviews
- The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America
- Trading Democracy for Justice: Criminal Convictions and the Decline of Neighborhood Political Participation
- The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion
Artikel in diesem Heft
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Congressional Polarization and Political Trust
- Declining Trust in Congress: Effects of Polarization and Consequences for Democracy
- Poor Performance by Government: A Functional Explanation of Public Disaffection
- The Strategic Promotion of Distrust in Government in the Tea Party Age
- “Why Polarized Trust Matters”
- Young Voters, Declining Trust and the Limits of “Service Politics”
- In Government We Distrust: Citizen Skepticism and Democracy in the United States
- American Politics: “Broken” Since 1885
- Book reviews
- The First Civil Right: How Liberals Built Prison America
- Trading Democracy for Justice: Criminal Convictions and the Decline of Neighborhood Political Participation
- The righteous mind: Why good people are divided by politics and religion
