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Policy Insights From Party History
Author(s) -
Skidmore Max J.
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
poverty and public policy
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.206
H-Index - 4
ISSN - 1944-2858
DOI - 10.1002/pop4.205
Subject(s) - strengths and weaknesses , political history , democracy , party platform , realigning election , political science , public administration , sociology , law , politics , epistemology , socialism , philosophy , communism
Max J. Skidmore examines party history in the United States, specifically discussing three books: two treatments of the Republican Party, Lewis Gould's The Republicans: A History of the Grand Old Party ; and Heather Cox Richardson's To Make Men Free: A History of the Republican Party . He also examines a broader analysis by Nancy MacLean, Democracy in Chains . He concludes, and demonstrates, that party history—even the history of a single party—can provide considerable insight into the character of American public policy, its development, and its strengths and weaknesses. Supplementing formal party history by discussing deliberate efforts external to the party to influence its orientation provides yet greater insights.