The Decline of Authority : : Public Economic Policy and Political Development in New York State, 1800-1860 / / Ray Gunn.

• Superior document: Title is part of eBook package: De Gruyter Cornell University Press Archive Pre-2000
• VerfasserIn: Gunn, Ray,
• Place / Publishing House: Ithaca, NY : : Cornell University Press, , [2019]; ©1988
• Year of Publication: 2019
• Language: English
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (320 p.)

From the Revolution until the Panic of 1837 Americans accepted state intervention in the economy as a legitimate, even an essential, function of government. The Decline of Authority examines the transformation of New York State government between 1800 and 1860, a critical period during which governmental authority diminished as most state governments withdrew from interventionist economic policies and relinquished their role in the allocation of resources to the private sector. Exploring the relationship between socioeconomic change, public economic policy, and political development, L. Ray Gunn offers an innovative explanation for the new configuration of politics and governance in New York State that emerged during this era.

Table of Contents

Frontmatter -- Contents -- Tables -- Preface -- 1. Introduction: Public Policy and Political Development in the Nineteenth-Century States -- 2. Society and Economy -- 3. The Political System -- 4. The Political Economy of Distribution -- 5. The Crisis of Distributive Politics -- 6. The Constitution of 1846 and the Democratic Strategy of Legitimacy -- 7. The Administrative Strategy of Legitimacy -- 8. The Political Implications of General Incorporation Laws -- 9. Conclusion: Toward a Liberal Order of Politics -- Selected Bibliography -- Index