Since the elections of 1994 and the return of divided government, we are once again hearing a lot of complaints about government gridlock. Here, political scientists David Brady and Craig Volden demonstrate that gridlock is not a product of divided government, party politics, or any of the usual scapegoats. It is, instead, an instrumental part of American government - built into our institutions and sustained by leaders acting rationally not only to achieve set goals but to thwart foolish inadvertencies.

Looking at key legislative issues from the Reagan, Bush, and Clinton administrations, the authors clearly and carefully analyze important crux points in lawmaking: the swing votes, the veto, the filibuster. The authors show that - contrary to conventional wisdom - government gridlock may ensure system stability and democracy rather than detract from the democratic process.