In recent years the study of divided government has been a growth industry. Numerous scholars
have sought to explain patterns of divided government in the United States, while
others have attempted to explore the consequences of the phenomenon. No doubt this
scholarly interest in the subject is due in large part to the attention paid by the political media
to divided control of the presidency and Congress during the 1980s, as well as the resulting
’gridlock‘ that dominated policy making in Washington during that time period.