{"title":"Matthew Levendusky","description":"\u003cp\u003eMatthew Levendusky's works delve into the complexities of contemporary political life, exploring themes of democracy, partisanship, and societal unity. His insightful analyses illuminate the challenges facing American democracy amid crises and the deep divisions that shape political discourse.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eReaders can expect thought-provoking discussions on the nature of political hostility and the bonds that connect citizens across divides. These books offer a compelling examination of current affairs, suitable for anyone seeking a deeper understanding of modern politics.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"our-common-bonds-by-matthew-levendusky-9780226824703","title":"Our Common Bonds","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eA compelling exploration of concrete strategies to reduce partisan animosity by building on what Democrats and Republicans have in common.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eOne of the defining features of twenty-first-century American politics is the rise of affective polarization: Americans increasingly not only disagree with those from the other party but distrust and dislike them as well. This has toxic downstream consequences for both politics and social relationships. Is there any solution?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eOur Common Bonds\u003c\/em\u003e shows that—although there is no silver bullet that will eradicate partisan animosity—there are concrete interventions that can reduce it. Matthew Levendusky argues that partisan animosity stems in part from partisans’ misperceptions of one another. Democrats and Republicans \u003cem\u003ethink\u003c\/em\u003e they have nothing in common, but this is not true.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eDrawing on survey and experimental evidence, the book shows that it is possible to help partisans reframe the lens through which they evaluate the out-party by priming commonalities—specifically, shared identities outside of politics, cross-party friendships, and common issue positions and values identified through civil cross-party dialogue. Doing so lessons partisan animosity, and it can even reduce ideological polarization.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe book discusses what these findings mean for real-world efforts to bridge the partisan divide.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47431787217132,"sku":"9780226824703","price":56.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780226824703.jpg?v=1774557153"},{"product_id":"partisan-hostility-and-american-democracy-by-matthew-levendusky-9780226833675","title":"Partisan Hostility and American Democracy","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAn unflinching examination of the effects and boundaries of partisan animosity.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFor generations, experts argued that American politics needed cohesive parties to function effectively. Now many fear that strong partisan views, particularly hostility to the opposing party, are damaging democracy. Is partisanship as dangerous as we fear it is?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTo provide an answer, \u003cem\u003ePartisan Hostility and American Democracy\u003c\/em\u003e offers a nuanced evaluation of when and how partisan animosity matters in today's highly charged, dynamic political environment, drawing on panel data from some of the most tumultuous years in recent American history, 2019 through 2021. The authors show that partisanship powerfully shapes political behaviours, but its effects are conditional, not constant. Instead, it is most powerful when politicians send clear signals and when an issue is unlikely to bring direct personal consequences. In the absence of these conditions, other factors often dominate decision-making.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe authors argue that while partisan hostility has degraded US politics—for example, politicising previously non-political issues and undermining compromise—it is not in itself an existential threat. As their research shows, the future of American democracy depends on how politicians, more than ordinary voters, behave.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47471331213548,"sku":"9780226833675","price":56.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780226833675-partisan-hostility-and-american-democracy.jpg?v=1775239862"},{"product_id":"democracy-amid-crises-by-matthew-levendusky-9780197644706","title":"Democracy amid Crises","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eDemocracy amid Crises\u003c\/em\u003e offers a data-rich analysis of how the four inter-related crises of 2020—the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic collapse and K-shaped recovery, the clashes over the legacy of racism and policing, and assaults on the legitimacy of democratic institutions (abetted by conspiracy theories)—shaped not only the 2020 election, but also the future of our democracy.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe 2020 election cycle was one of the most tumultuous in the nation's history. Early in the cycle, a global pandemic hit the US, paralyzing much of the economy and raising a multitude of questions about how people would go about voting. Then, beginning in late spring, a series of police brutality cases set off a nationwide wave of protests and civil disturbances related to racial justice concerns. In the final phase, the president of the United States refused to accept the results and incited his followers to storm the US Capitol. How did all of these momentous events shape voters' opinions? And what impact did they have on the outcome?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eTo answer these questions, Kathleen Hall Jamieson and her collaborators surveyed 9,000 Americans over the course of the year to determine how voters reacted to the events on the ground, the campaigns' attempts at persuasion, and the post-election chaos that followed Biden's victory. Generally, American voters saw the multitude of crises through the lens of their polarized partisan predispositions. But why? Jamieson and her co-authors first stress that America has multiple electorates, exposed to different informational environments. The divergent messages they received shaped not only their vote choice, but also how they made sense of these crises. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eInterestingly, though many voters were locked in place by their partisan priors, a majority of those who ended up voting for either Biden or Trump were unsure of their choice and whether they would actually vote at some point during the year. What led to both the wavering in people's choices and the attitudes they eventually adopted were in large part due to the differing media environments enveloping them: the messages from the campaigns, from their family and friends, as well as from those in mass and social media. This is not a simple story of \"echo chambers,\" where individuals are immersed in only one type of media—far from it. The distinct media environments in which these electorates experienced the election were in fact complex and varied, and the interaction between these different types of media was key. Indeed, most voters were subject to cross-cutting information pressures and not only one type of partisan source.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThis book's focus on the ebb and flow of the campaign over time and the centrality of wavering voters makes this an authoritative and essential account of one of the most momentous American elections ever.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Unknown","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47933951475948,"sku":"9780197644706","price":79.0,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9780197644706-democracy-amid-crises.jpg?v=1783887210"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/matthew-levendusky.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}