Books in the Legislative Politics and Policy Making series

Erik J. Engstrom offers a historical perspective on the effects of gerrymandering on elections and party control of the US national legislature. Engstrom evaluates the abundant cross-sectional and temporal variation in redistricting plans and their electoral results from all the states, from 1789 through the 1960s, to identify the causes and consequences of partisan redistricting.

Although partisan polarization gets much of the attention in political science scholarship about Congress, members of Congress represent diverse communities around the country. Home Field Advantage demonstrates the importance of this understudied element of American congressional elections and representation.

Revealing data from the U.S. Congress and state legislatures challenge conventional assumptions about minority parties

Presents an original study of US congressional elections and electoral institutions for 1872-1944 from a contemporary political science perspective. The authors test the applicability in a historical context of modern political science theories, assess the effects of institutional reforms, and identify the factors that shape the competitiveness of elections.