Rural versus urban : the growing divide that threatens democracy / Suzanne Mettler, Trevor E. Brown.
| Author/creator | Mettler, Suzanne author. |
| Other author | Brown, Trevor E., author. |
| Format | Book |
| Publication | Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2025] |
| Copyright Date | ©2025 |
| Description | xi, 309 pages : illustrations ; 25 cm |
| Subjects |
| Variant title | Rural vs urban |
| Variant title | Rural v urban |
| Contents | Part I. The emergence of a new divide. Introduction: rural and urban becomes "us" versus "them" -- The puzzle: why did a rural-urban divide emerge? -- Averting "revolution in the countryside": the historic integration of rural places in the American political economy -- Part II. Causes -- Political-economic transformation: rural-urban polarization begins -- Overbearing elites and rural resentment: polarization intensifies -- How parties and organizations matter: cementing the new divide -- Part III. Consequences -- Polarizing Congress by place: the implications for governance -- How the rural-urban divide shapes political power -- Part IV. Solutions -- Does public policy help mend the divide? -- Party building: a path forward -- Conclusion. |
| Abstract | "Why have Americans living in different places come to experience politics as a battle between "us" and "them"? In Rural Versus Urban, Suzanne Mettler and Trevor Brown argue that political polarization is not just about red states and blue states, or coastal elites who alienate those in fly-over country. Instead, polarization permeates every region and every state--and has become organized through a pernicious rural-urban division. Mettler and Brown explain the evolution of this gulf across five decades, charting political trends in both places. Drawing on data on individuals, communities, and members of Congress, as well as interviews with local party leaders and former elected officials, they show how the divide emerged and why it poses a threat to democracy. Until about thirty years ago, both political parties attracted support from rural and urban voters. But after place-based inequality grew due to deregulation and trade liberalization, white rural dwellers began to view urban people and Democrats as affluent elites out of touch with their needs. Politically active evangelical churches, antiabortion organizations, and gun groups helped deepen the divide, encouraging many of these rural residents to become staunch supporters of the GOP. Now, regional one-party rule in rural America gives Republicans a systematic edge for gaining control of crucial political institutions, including the Senate, House of Representatives, the Presidency, and even the Supreme Court. This is helping enable an extremist political party and pushing democracy to the brink. Mettler and Brown argue that the divide can be repaired--but only if the Democrats build their own robust local organizations and offer citizens a meaningful choice" -- Provided by publisher. |
| Bibliography note | Includes bibliographical references (pages 265-300) and index. |
| Issued in other form | Online version: Mettler, Suzanne. Rural versus urban : the growing divide that threatens democracy. Princeton : Princeton University Press, [2025] 9780691264363 |
| ISBN | 9780691264387 |
| ISBN | 0691264384 (hardcover) |
| ISBN | (electronic book) |
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