ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the meaning and implications of the findings. It examines an alternative to the theories of conservative shift. The chapter describes the contradictions between the actions of politicians and the preferences of the public, and considers several competing explanations of these differences. It explains the American experience in the broader context of the Anglo-American conservative shift. The chapter deals with some speculation on future directions of electoral politics in light of these findings. If one were to develop an alternative theory that described changes in American public opinion, it could be called the theory of managerial conservatism. According to the managerial conservatism perspective, the growth of party-mediated conservatism is the only evidence that consistently supports the conservative shift thesis. More Americans grew skeptical of federal power, of government job creation, and of welfare spending. In fact, some neoconservatives entered the political arena, and some politicians embraced neo-conservatism.
