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9781108701549

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'The dominant paradigm of American politics scholarship builds in an assumption that 'liberal' and 'conservative' are fixed in meaning - and that one major political party is always on the 'left' while the other is on the 'right'. But what if that's not so? In this outstanding book, Verlan Lewis not only shows us how party ideologies have changed over time, but he also uncovers predictable patterns in those changes and links them to the fundamental political calculations of party actors in and out of power. Ideas of Power is a must-read - it's a book that will reshape the way we understand ideology in the United States and beyond.' Sarah Anzia, Michelle J. Schwartz Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley 'In documenting how party ideologies have changed throughout American history - and with them the very meanings of liberalism and conservatism - Lewis challenges mainstream views about the origins and role of ideology, the value of DW-NOMINATE scores, and how the dynamics of American politics can best be understood. He is calling for a transformation in the analytics at the heart of the field. This is what contributions are made of.' Terry M. Moe, William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science, Stanford University 'In this ambitious study, Verlan Lewis contends that American political parties, and American politics more broadly, can only be understood by paying serious attention to partisan ideas; by recognizing that they, and the meanings of 'liberal' and 'conservative', 'right' and 'left', change over time; and by understanding how wielding governing power can contribute to ideological change. Literatures in several fields will need to come to grip with these important arguments.' Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania 'The dominant paradigm of American politics scholarship builds in an assumption that 'liberal' and 'conservative' are fixed in meaning - and that one major political party is always on the 'left' while the other is on the 'right'. But what if that's not so? In this outstanding book, Verlan Lewis not only shows us how party ideologies have changed over time, but he also uncovers predictable patterns in those changes and links them to the fundamental political calculations of party actors in and out of power. Ideas of Power is a must-read - it's a book that will reshape the way we understand ideology in the United States and beyond.' Sarah Anzia, Michelle J. Schwartz Associate Professor of Public Policy, University of California, Berkeley 'In documenting how party ideologies have changed throughout American history - and with them the very meanings of liberalism and conservatism - Lewis challenges mainstream views about the origins and role of ideology, the value of DW-NOMINATE scores, and how the dynamics of American politics can best be understood. He is calling for a transformation in the analytics at the heart of the field. This is what contributions are made of.' Terry M. Moe, William Bennett Munro Professor of Political Science, Stanford University 'In this ambitious study, Verlan Lewis contends that American political parties, and American politics more broadly, can only be understood by paying serious attention to partisan ideas; by recognizing that they, and the meanings of 'liberal' and 'conservative', 'right' and 'left', change over time; and by understanding how wielding governing power can contribute to ideological change. Literatures in several fields will need to come to grip with these important arguments.' Rogers M. Smith, Christopher H. Browne Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University of Pennsylvania

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Verlan Lewis is a postdoctoral scholar in the Department of Political Science at Stanford University, California. His research focuses on how political institutions and ideas interact over time, and his work has appeared in a variety of publications, including Studies in American Political Development, Presidential Studies Quarterly, The Forum, and The Washington Post.

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