Conservative Mythology and Public Policy in America

The first truly empirical examination of American conservatism, this book provides an important counterweight in a debate which has been, until now, heavily dominated by ideological conservatives. Arguing that many of the social, political, and economic underpinnings of conservative dogma do not stand the test of close scrutiny, Vedlitz clearly articulates the underlying assumptions of conservative policy and evaluates their validity for American politics and society. A book for both liberals and conservatives alike, Conservative Mythology and Public Policy in America offers a timely challenge to widely held views about the impact of conservatism on U.S. public policy.

ARNOLD VEDLITZ is Professor of Political Science and Assistant to the President at Texas A&M University. He has published widely in the areas of American political behavior, minority politics, and urban politics. He is the author or coauthor of articles that have appeared in the American Political Science Review, the American Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, Social Science Quarterly, Urban Affairs Quarterly, Sociological Spectrum, Economic Development Quarterly, Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, the Journal of Black Studies, the Journal of Negro Education, the Western Journal of Black Studies, and other journals.