Political Concepts

When one party holds the presidency and the other controls at least one chamber of Congress, the usual condition of American government since 1969

The inability of Congress and the President to act on major national issues, its causes in polarization and institutional rules, and the debate over whether it is a flaw or a feature

The electoral edge enjoyed by officeholders seeking reelection, which makes most members of Congress very hard to defeat

How organized groups try to influence government decisions, the constitutional right to petition behind it, and the disclosure laws that regulate it

The balance in American government between letting majorities decide and protecting individuals and minorities from majority overreach

The growing ideological distance between the two major parties since the 1970s, in Congress and among voters, and its causes and consequences

Federal spending on local projects that benefits a lawmaker's home district, and the vote-trading and distributive politics that surround it

The press as an informal check on government, protected by the First Amendment and shaped by landmark cases, investigative reporting, and changes in the news business

The movement of people between government jobs and lobbying or industry positions related to their public work, and the cooling-off rules that limit it

Independent research organizations that develop policy ideas, staff administrations, and shape debates in Washington, from Brookings in 1916 to Project 2025