David Mayhew
Encyclopedia
David R. Mayhew is a political scientist and Sterling Professor
in the Political Science Department at Yale University
. He is the author of several influential books on American politics.
In Congress: The Electoral Connection
, Mayhew argued that much of the organization of the United States Congress
can be explained as the result of re-election seeking behavior by its members. In Divided We Govern, he disputed the previously accepted notion that, when Congress and the presidency are controlled by different parties, less important legislation is passed than under unified government. His most recent book, Partison Balance: Why Political parties Don't Kill the U.S. Constitutional System (Princeton University Press, 2011) contends that majoritarianism largely characterizes the American system. The wishes of the majority tend to nudge institutions back toward the median voter. Partisan Balance won the 2011 Leon D. Epstein Outstanding Award from the American Political Science Association.
Mayhew earned another Ph.D. from Harvard University
in 1964. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
. In 2004, he received the Samuel J. Eldersveld Award for lifetime achievement from the American Political Science Association
.
Sterling Professor
A Sterling Professorship is the highest academic rank at Yale University, awarded to a tenured faculty member considered one of the best in his or her field...
in the Political Science Department at Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
. He is the author of several influential books on American politics.
In Congress: The Electoral Connection
Congress: The Electoral Connection
Congress: The Electoral Connection is a book by David Mayhew that applies rational choice theory to the actions of American Congressmen. Mayhew argues that Congressmen are motivated by re-election....
, Mayhew argued that much of the organization of the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
can be explained as the result of re-election seeking behavior by its members. In Divided We Govern, he disputed the previously accepted notion that, when Congress and the presidency are controlled by different parties, less important legislation is passed than under unified government. His most recent book, Partison Balance: Why Political parties Don't Kill the U.S. Constitutional System (Princeton University Press, 2011) contends that majoritarianism largely characterizes the American system. The wishes of the majority tend to nudge institutions back toward the median voter. Partisan Balance won the 2011 Leon D. Epstein Outstanding Award from the American Political Science Association.
Mayhew earned another Ph.D. from Harvard University
Harvard University
Harvard University is a private Ivy League university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States, established in 1636 by the Massachusetts legislature. Harvard is the oldest institution of higher learning in the United States and the first corporation chartered in the country...
in 1964. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
American Academy of Arts and Sciences
The American Academy of Arts and Sciences is an independent policy research center that conducts multidisciplinary studies of complex and emerging problems. The Academy’s elected members are leaders in the academic disciplines, the arts, business, and public affairs.James Bowdoin, John Adams, and...
. In 2004, he received the Samuel J. Eldersveld Award for lifetime achievement from the American Political Science Association
American Political Science Association
The American Political Science Association is a professional association of political science students and scholars in the United States. Founded in 1903, it publishes three academic journals...
.
Quotes
- "If a group of planners sat down and tried to design a pair of American national assemblies with the goal of serving members' reelection needs year in and year out, they would be hard pressed to improve on what exists."
- "As an expressive institution Congress, in short, is noisy, versatile, and effective."
- "Probably half the adverse criticism of Congress by elites is an indirect criticism of the public itself."
External links
- Yale University profile
- "Mayhew lauded for his studies of party politics", Yale Bulletin & Calendar, Sept. 24, 2004.
- "Divided We Govern" excerpts, Google Books