Description: Since 1932 elections and decision making in Chicago have been dominated by the Regular Democratic Organization of Cook County, led for a quarter of a century by the late Mayor Richard J. Daley. The extraordinary longevity of this Democratic machine provides the basis for this penetrating investigation into the nature of machine politics and grassroots party organization. For three years, Thomas M. Guterbock participated in the daily activities of the Regular Democratic Organization in one North Side Chicago ward in order to discover how political machines win the support of the urban electorate. Guterbock's participant observation data, supplemented by a sample survey of ward residents' attitudes toward, and contacts with the machine, provide convincing evidence that the most widely accepted notions of how political machines work are no longer correct. Contrary to conventional wisdom about the machine, Guterbock finds that the party does not secure votes by doing "favors" for people, nor do services rendered determine actual voting behavior. Instead, party loyalty is governed by such factors as social status, educational achievement, and bureaucratic competence. Guterbock finds that Democratic loyalists are drawn disproportionately from the ward's lowest strata. Ironically, the characteristics of these loyal Democrats contrast sharpely with the characteristics of those most likely to use party services. What keeps the machine going, then? To answer this question, Guterbock takes us behind the scenes for a unique look inside the ward club. He shows how members develop loyalty and motivation beyond concern for their own pocketbooks. And he analyzes the public involvement of machine politicians in neighborhood affairs, describing the skillful-sometimes devious-ways in which they appeal to their constituents' sense of community. By focusing on the interplay of party loyalty and community attachments, Guterbock is able to explain the continued hegemony of Chicago's political machine and its enduring image of legitimacy. Authors: Thomas M. Guterbock Binding: Hardcover Edition: First Edition Label: University of Chicago Press Manufacturer: University of Chicago Press Publication Date: 1980-03-01 Publisher: University of Chicago Press Studio: University of Chicago Press
Price: 14.73 USD
Location: Phoenix, Arizona
End Time: 2024-12-08T06:24:27.000Z
Shipping Cost: 5.99 USD
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Item Specifics
Restocking Fee: No
Return shipping will be paid by: Buyer
All returns accepted: Returns Accepted
Item must be returned within: 30 Days
Refund will be given as: Money Back
Brand: NA
Number of Pages: 346 Pages
Publication Name: Machine Politics in Transition : Party and Community in Chicago
Language: English
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Subject: American Government / Local, United States / 20th Century, Political Process / Political Parties, Sociology / Urban
Publication Year: 1980
Item Height: 1 in
Item Weight: 17.9 Oz
Type: Textbook
Author: Thomas M. Guterbock
Subject Area: Political Science, Social Science, History
Item Length: 8.5 in
Item Width: 5.5 in
Series: Studies of Urban Society Ser.
Format: Hardcover
