Mack Mariani

Party polarization in the House of Representatives has increased in recent decades. Explaining this development has been difficult, given current interpretations of American elections. The dominant framework for interpreting elections has been to see them as candidate-centered, or individualistic. This framework may have seemed appropriate as a way

Every year, thousands of college students invade Washington, D.C. and the fifty state capitals to volunteer as political interns. Unfortunately, they are rarely able to hit the ground running," lacking the tools to help them do so. The Insider's Guide to Political Internships provides those tools. This volume contains practical, concise essays written by political professionals and scholars with extensive experience supervising internships, as well as advice from many former interns. The book highlights internships on Capitol Hill, at the White House, in the executive branch, at the state level, in the Congressional district office, and at non-profit groups.

Party polarization in the House of Representatives has increased recently. Explaining this development has been difficult given current interpretations of American elections. The dominant framework for interpreting elections has been to see them as candidate-centered or individualistic. This book explains the emergence of party polarization by focusing on how the constituencies of House districts affect partisan outcomes and the subsequent voting behavior of House members. The analysis is premised on the simple argument that members are elected from districts, and an explanation of polarization must begin with districts. The origins of polarization lie in the realignment of the electoral bases of the parties, and the shifting demographic composition of America. The analysis will focus primarily on changes since the 1960s.