Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System. A Report of the Committee on Political Parties of the American Political Science Association

In tracing the development of increased polarization in the United States, numerous scholars have noted the apparent importance of the American Political Science Association's (APSA's) Committee on Political Parties. The committee's influential (and often criticized) report, Toward a More Responsible Two-Party System, called for a wholesale transformation of political parties in the United States. On its publication in October 1950, political scientists quickly concluded that, taken together, the committee's recommendations represented a reworking of a distinct approach, usually known as “party government” or “responsible party government.” (The origins of responsible parties dated back to Woodrow Wilson's classic 1885 text Congressional Government.) Since then, the notion of party government has become a core issue in the study of American political parties, albeit a contentious one. A recent survey ranked the APSA document at seventh as a canonical text in graduate syllabi concerning parties.

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Progress in Political Research

American Political Science Review ◽

10.2307/1945095 ◽

1926 ◽

Vol 20 (1) ◽

pp. 1-13 ◽

Cited By ~ 22

Author(s):

Charles E. Merriam

Keyword(s):

Public Opinion ◽

Political Parties ◽

Political Science ◽

New Orleans ◽

American Political Science Association ◽

Political Research ◽

Intelligent Analysis ◽

American Political Science ◽

Science Association ◽

Looking Back

It is now over twenty-one years since a group of scholastic adventurers meeting in New Orleans established the American Political Science Association, and started the organization upon its uncertain course. Looking back over the days that intervene between our infancy and this, the attainment of our twenty-first meeting, one may trace the lines of advance in our undertaking. As one of the charter members I may be permitted the liberty of reviewing briefly some of the more significant fields in this development.One of the most striking advances in research during the last twenty-one years has been that centering around the problem of the modern city. Research centers, some of them within and some of them without university walls, have sprung up all over the country, and municipal research workers have contributed materially to the intelligent analysis of urban phenomena and to the direction of the growth of our municipalities. In no field has there been more scientific and practical political research than here. Goodnow was most conspicuous in this field in the earlier days and Munro in the later.The study of political parties has been rescued from neglect and has been made an integral part of instruction and the object of many specific studies, notably those of Holcombe, Rice, and Gosnell. Along with parties, public opinion has been made an object of more intensive inquiry, as in the suggestive studies of Lippman and Allport.

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Radio Program of the American Political Science Association

American Political Science Review ◽

10.2307/1946541 ◽

1932 ◽

Vol 26 (4) ◽

pp. 721-723

Author(s):

Thomas H. Reed

Keyword(s):

Political Science ◽

American Political Science Association ◽

Radio Program ◽

American Political Science ◽

Science Association

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Report on a Survey of the Membership of the American Political Science Association

Political Science and Politics ◽

10.1017/s104909650001180x ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 7 (04) ◽

pp. 382-385 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Thomas E. Mann

Keyword(s):

Political Science ◽

Executive Director ◽

Response Rate ◽

American Political Science Association ◽

Full Time ◽

National Office ◽

Final Questionnaire ◽

American Political Science ◽

Number Of Individuals ◽

Science Association

In conjunction with a discussion of the FY 1974–75 Budget at its April, 1974, meeting, the Council of the American Political Science Association instructed the Executive Director to survey the membership of the Association as to their attitudes toward the usefulness ofPSin form and content. In order to take full advantage of the resources needed to conduct this survey, the National Office conceived a broader study of membership attitudes toward Association activities. The final questionnaire was approved by the Council.On June 7, 1974, the questionnaire was mailed to 1,000 individuals selected randomly from the membership files of the Association. A second mailing was sent to those who had not responded on July 9. A total of 530 completed questionnaires were received for a response rate of 53 percent.The demographic characteristics of the membership, as reflected in the sample, are portrayed in Table 1.The small number of students in the sample is surprising, given the fact that a third of all Association members pay student dues. This discrepancy cannot be attributed to differential response rates; a check of our numbering system confirms the fact that “student” members returned their questionnaires at the same rate as “annual” members. Clearly, a substantial number of individuals paying student dues are employed full-time.

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