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.

?For a time such scathing attacks on federal social programs as Charles Murray's Losing Ground and Allen Matusow's The Unraveling of America went largely unanswered. In this volume, Vedlitz provides a well-reasoned and solidly documented response to the full range of conservative charges. He identifies six basic conservative myths-the culture of poverty, meritocracy, governmental decentralization, free market, federal regulatory failure, and foreign economic successes based on conservative values and approaches-and then proceeds with careful logic and hard statistical data to point up the flaws and misapplications of each of these concepts. Responding to the published arguments of such conservatives as Edward Banfield, Irving Kristol, Thomas Sowell, Charles Murray, and Allen Matusow, Vedlitz points out their flawed logic and incomplete or misinterpreted statistical data. He charges the conservatives with oversimplification of complex problems and at times obfuscation of countervailing evidence. He concludes that policy prescriptions growing out of current conservative dogma may not offer the most promising solutions to the real problems we face. A well-written volume with arguments clearly presented and well documented. Overall, a stimulating and informative volume for anyone interested in public policy decision making in the US. For upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and general readers.?-Choice, "For a time such scathing attacks on federal social programs as Charles Murray's Losing Ground and Allen Matusow's The Unraveling of America went largely unanswered. In this volume, Vedlitz provides a well-reasoned and solidly documented response to the full range of conservative charges. He identifies six basic conservative myths-the culture of poverty, meritocracy, governmental decentralization, free market, federal regulatory failure, and foreign economic successes based on conservative values and approaches-and then proceeds with careful logic and hard statistical data to point up the flaws and misapplications of each of these concepts. Responding to the published arguments of such conservatives as Edward Banfield, Irving Kristol, Thomas Sowell, Charles Murray, and Allen Matusow, Vedlitz points out their flawed logic and incomplete or misinterpreted statistical data. He charges the conservatives with oversimplification of complex problems and at times obfuscation of countervailing evidence. He concludes that policy prescriptions growing out of current conservative dogma may not offer the most promising solutions to the real problems we face. A well-written volume with arguments clearly presented and well documented. Overall, a stimulating and informative volume for anyone interested in public policy decision making in the US. For upper-division undergraduates, graduate students, faculty, and general readers."-Choice

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.