Revolving Gridlock

Since the elections of 1994 and the return of divided government, we are once again hearing a lot of complaints about government gridlock. Here, political scientists David Brady and Craig Volden demonstrate that gridlock is not a product of divided government, party politics, or any of the usual scapegoats. It is, instead, an instrumental part of American government—built into our institutions and sustained by leaders acting rationally not only to achieve set goals but to thwart foolish inadvertencies.Looking at key legislative issues from the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations, the authors clearly and carefully analyze important crux points in lawmaking: the swing votes, the veto, the filibuster. They show that when it comes to government gridlock, it doesn’t matter who’s in the White House or who’s in control of Congress; it’s as American as apple pie, and its results may ultimately be as sweet in ensuring system stability and democracy.

David W. Brady is professor of political science and business, and Senior Fellow and Deputy Director of the Hoover Institution at Stanford University. Craig Volden is assistant professor of political science and public policy at The Ohio State University.