Term Limits and Their Consequences: The Aftermath of Legislative Reform

Stanley M. Caress; Todd T. Kunioka

ISBN 10: 1438443056 / ISBN 13: 9781438443058

Published by SUNY Press, 2012

About this Item

Unmarked, clean, bright and tight copy. Light shelfwear only.

Seller Inventory # 074502

Bibliographic Details

• Title: Term Limits and Their Consequences: The Aftermath of Legislative Reform
• Publisher: SUNY Press
• Publication Date: 2012
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1438443056
• ISBN 13: 9781438443058
• Binding: Pictorial Hard Cover
• Edition: 1st Edition
• Printing: 1st Printing
• Condition: Near Fine
• Dust Jacket Condition: No DJ

About this title

Synopsis

Comprehensive examination of legislative term limits and how they have changed the American political system.

Legislative term limits remain a controversial feature of the American political landscape. Term Limits and Their Consequences provides a clear, comprehensive, and nonpartisan look at all aspects of this contentious subject. Stanley M. Caress and Todd T. Kunioka trace the emergence of the grassroots movement that supported term limits and explain why the idea of term limits became popular with voters. At the same time, they put term limits into a broader historical context, illustrating how they are one of many examples of the public's desire to reform government. Utilizing an impressive blend of quantitative data and interviews, Caress and Kunioka thoughtfully discuss the impact of term limits, focusing in particular on the nation's largest state, California. They scrutinize voting data to determine if term limits have altered election outcomes or the electoral chances of women and minority candidates, and reveal how restricting a legislator's time in office has changed political careers and ambitions. Designed to transform American politics, term limits did indeed bring change, but in ways ranging far beyond those anticipated by both their advocates and detractors.

About the Author

Stanley M. Caress is Professor of Political Science at the University of West Georgia and the author of Dynamics of American Politics. Todd T. Kunioka is a statistical analyst for Los Angeles County and teaches Political Science at Cerritos College in California.