Democracy More or Less
America's Political Reform Quandary

This book studies how American political reform efforts often fail because of the unrealistic ideal of a fully informed and engaged citizenry.

Bruce E. Cain (Author)

9781107039636, Cambridge University Press

Hardback, published 8 December 2014

262 pages
23.1 x 15.2 x 2 cm, 0.52 kg

'Finally, a book on American democracy that challenges romantic, populist 'reform' naiveté and insists that serious and productive reform must instead take into account the way political power is actually constructed, mobilized and channeled - particularly through organizations, including political parties, that inevitably and desirably exist between the isolated citizen and effective political participation. Deceptively short and accessible, this book raises profound and necessary challenges to more conventional ways of thinking about the nature and fate of democracy in America.' Rick Pildes, New York University School of Law

Why do American political reform efforts so often fail to solve the problems they intend to fix? In this book, Bruce E. Cain argues that the reasons are an unrealistic civic ideal of a fully informed and engaged citizenry and a neglect of basic pluralist principles about political intermediaries. This book traces the tension between populist and pluralist approaches as it plays out in many seemingly distinct reform topics, such as voting administration, campaign finance, excessive partisanship, redistricting, and transparency and voter participation. It explains why political primaries have promoted partisan polarization, why voting rates are declining even as election opportunities increase, and why direct democracy is not really a grassroots tool. Cain offers a reform agenda that attempts to reconcile pluralist ideals with the realities of collective-action problems and resource disparities.

1. The ascendancy of reform populism
2. Reform pluralism
3. How much transparency?
4. Participation paradoxes
5. Reform cycles
6. Fair representation
7. Raising the political ethics bar
8. Election administration or policy?
9. A blended reform agenda.

Subject Areas: Public international law [LBB], International law [LB]