Divided Government Essay ⋆ Political Science Essay Examples ⋆ EssayEmpire

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Divided government exists when one political party controls the executive and the opposition party controls one or both houses of the legislature, which can occur at both the state and national levels. The existence of divided party control of government institutions is a phenomenon that captured the attention of academics, the media, and average citizens in the 1990s. Although it is not a new occurrence in American politics, divided party control of the legislative and executive branches was increasingly blamed for the stalemate and gridlock that seemed to handicap the federal government, especially in the 1990s.

Since the end of World War II (1939–1945), the existence of divided government has been an almost persistent feature of the American political system. From 1952 to 1992, seven elections produced unified government, and thirteen elections produced divided government. The gridlock associated with divided government is not only representative of periods in which divided partisan control exists but can also manifest itself during periods of unified government as well. Nonetheless, academics have spent considerable time and energy in determining the effects, if any, that divided government has on relations between the executive and legislative branches and the nation as a whole.

The return of unified government with the election of Bill Clinton as president initially witnessed legislative acceptance for presidential proposals; however, with time, the Democratic Party–controlled Congress became a vocal opponent of the president, thereby casting doubt on whether unified government was much different than divided government. Divided government derives from the manner in which the legislative and executive branches function and are constituted. Different constituencies and terms of office and the separation of the branches, which are evaluated at separate times, produce conflict and division. Introducing different partisan controls of the presidency and Congress further exacerbates the situation.

This, however, should not preclude the possibility that presidents and Congress can reach agreement during both periods of divided and unified government. Divided government happens to be just one of a host of factors that may create gridlock in the legislative process. For instance, policy-making gridlock can be blamed on the overall design of Congress and the actual trajectory legislation takes. Congress is a complex institution that is disjointed in its functions and influenced by several entities, including committees, individual members of Congress, and interest groups. All of these may disguise or even exaggerate the effects of divided government.

Some argue that divided government is an undesirable outgrowth of the separation of powers inherent to the American political system. Several scholars openly challenge the deleterious effects of divided government. David Mayhew in Divided We Govern argues that whether the government has been unified or divided has not made much difference. Several scholars even suggest that the manifestation of divided government provides notable benefits. Divided government adds an element to the legislative equation that, in many cases, fosters greater debate and further exemplifies the deliberative nature that the founding fathers envisioned for legislating. The disagreement that is inherent in divided government produces debate and, as a result, is a healthy component of democratic governance.

Bibliography:

Fiorina, Morris P. “An Era of Divided Government.” Political Science Quarterly 107, no. 3 (1992): 387–410.
Galderisi, Peter F. “Introduction: Divided Government Past and Present.” In Divided Government: Change, Uncertainty, and the Constitutional Order, edited by Peter F. Galderisi, Roberta Q. Herzberg, and Peter McNamara. New York: Rowman and Littlefield, 1996.
Mayhew, David. Divided We Govern. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1980.