Scott Athaus
Cambridge University Press, 2003
Activities & Achievements
What We Do
Activities & Achievements
Transforming information into knowledge
that advances human flourishing.
Explore how the Cline Center and its affiliates are pursuing our shared vision through research, education, collaboration, and outreach.
Collective Preferences in Democratic Politics: Opinions Surveys and the Will of the People
Collective Preferences in Democratic Politics: Opinion Surveys and the Will of the People
Since so few people appear knowledgeable about public affairs, one might question whether collective policy preferences revealed in opinion surveys accurately convey the distribution of voices and interests in a society. Scott Althaus' comprehensive analysis of the relationship between knowledge…
Popular Efficacy in the Democratic Era: A Reexamination of Electoral Accountability in the United States, 1828-2000
Social scientists have long criticized American voters for being "unsophisticated" in the way they acquire and use political information. The low level of political sophistication leaves them vulnerable to manipulation by political "elites," whose sway over voters is deemed incontrovertible and…
The Endurance of National Constitutions
Constitutions are supposed to provide an enduring structure for politics. Yet only half live more than nineteen years. Why is it that some constitutions endure while others do not? In The Endurance of National Constitutions, Zachary Elkins, Tom Ginsburg, and James Melton examine the causes of…
Fault Lines: Why the Republicans Lost Congress (Controversies in Electoral Democracy and Representation)
In some years elections bring about enduring changes to the American political scene. In 2006, a pivotal election year, the Republicans suffered a resounding defeat, losing the House and Senate for the first time since the 1994 "Republican Revolution." But what caused this pivotal shift? …
Presidential Campaigns and Presidential Accountability (Democracy, Free Enterprise, and the Rule)
In investigating the presidential campaigns and early administrations of Barack Obama, George W. Bush, and Bill Clinton, Presidential Campaigns and Presidential Accountability shows how campaign promises are realized in government once the victor is established in the Oval…
Domestic Perspectives on Contemporary Democracy (Democracy, Free Enterprise, and the Rule)
In looking at the remarkable proliferation of democracies since 1974, this volume offers important insight into the challenges and opportunities that democracy faces in the twenty-first century. Distinguished contributors detail difficulties that democracies face from within and how they deal…
International Perspectives on Contemporary Democracy (Democracy, Free Enterprise, and the Rule)
Democracy enjoys unparalleled prestige at the beginning of the twenty-first century as a form of government. Some of the world's most prosperous nations are democracies, and an array of nations in Europe, Africa, and South America have adopted the system. This globalization has also met…