Contested Politics and Policies in the Contested Political Order

Abstract

In the multibranch and multilevel order of the United States, the ‘divided government’ long familiar as a challenge to governing among branches of government at one level with countervailing majorities has expanded into the vertical dimension of the complex constitutional order. However, at the same time, this growing fragmentation and polarization adds to complexity and the potentials for contestation in processes of politics and concrete policies. This panel examines a variety of specifically political-process and partisan related issues and thus perspectives related to the contestation around policy and politics within this complex – and seemingly increasingly contested, fragmenting and polarized – political order. In addition to different (sub)disciplinary approaches, papers are welcome that: - deal with relevant, and often controversial, policy fields such as public health; firearms (non-)regulation, or pandemic-related policy matters, among others; or - take a more political-processes related focus, for instance on elections and voting, or on political parties in particular. The panel focuses on the US case, but papers may also take a comparative perspective with other countries. Moreover, contributions are welcome that have a more theoretetical, empirical, conceptual, or mixed approaches. At the same time, it is highly encouraged that the papers proposals tie in their respective focus into the broader theme of the panel.

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