Elections in America /

Some of the most eminent names in political science participated in this symposium, whose purpose was to analyze the state of electoral politics. The 12 papers in this volume collectively represent the state of the art in the field, are of consistently high quality, but vary considerably in methodology and theoretical approach. Topics discussed include: elections as democratic institutions (papers by Schlozman and Sidney Verba and by Walter Dean Burnham); party reform (William Crotty and Austin Ranney); the role of the media (Doris Graber and Michael Robinson); campaign finance (Gary Jacobson and Frank Sorauf); and analyses of the 1984 presidential election (Aaron Wildavsky, John Petrocik, Kathleen Frankovic, and Warren Miller). Some affirm the conventional wisdom: Graber concludes that TV matters; Frankovic, using data from panel surveys and exit polls, affirms the role of momentum and the stereotypes of candidate supporters. Others question the current consensus-e.g., Robinson suggests that both the role of the media as agenda setter and the ``teflon thesis'' with regard to Reagan are overstated. All are provocative and suggestive of further research. Well indexed. Highly recommended for undergraduate and graduate collections.-M.A. Kulbicki, York College of Pennsylvania