Strategic Disagreement

Describes how politicians avoid reaching agreements that would make their followers better off but which could pose problems for themselves. The book is intended to be of use to students and scholars of American politics and those interested in formal theories of institutions and bargaining. Politics may be the art of compromise, but accepting a compromise can be hazardous to a politician\u2019s health. Politicians worry about betraying faithful supporters, about losing the upper hand on an issue before the next election, that accepting half a loaf today can make it harder to get the whole loaf tomorrow. In his original interpretation of competition between parties and between Congress and the president, Gilmour explains the strategies available to politicians who prefer to disagree and uncovers the lost opportunities to pass important legislation that result from this disagreement.Strategic Disagreement, theoretically solid and rich in evidence, will enlighten Washington observers frustrated by the politics of gridlock and will engage students interested in organizational theory, political parties, and divided government.