Description: Can America Govern Itself? brings together a diverse group of distinguished scholars to analyze how rising party polarization and economic inequality have affected the performance of American governing institutions. It is organized around two themes: the changing nature of representation in the United States; and how changes in the political environment have affected the internal processes of institutions, overall government performance, and policy outcomes. The chapters in this volume analyze concerns about power, influence and representation in American politics, the quality of deliberation and political communications, the management and implementation of public policy, and the performance of an eighteenth century constitution in today's polarized political environment. These renowned scholars provide a deeper and more systematic grasp of what is new, and what is perennial in challenges to democracy at a fraught moment.
Brief description: Frances E. Lee is Professor of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, College Park. She is author of Insecure Majorities: Congress and the Perpetual Campaign (2016), Beyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship in the US Senate (2009) and coauthor of Sizing Up The Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation (1999). Her books have received national recognition, including the American Political Science Association's Richard F. Fenno Award and the D. B. Hardeman Award presented by the Lyndon Baines Johnson Foundation for the best book on a congressional topic.
Review Quotes: 'Lee and McCarty have put together a stellar team of authors to address one of the most critical questions facing Americans: can our governing institutions cope with intense partisan polarization? The resulting chapters offer valuable insights into how representation, lawmaking, and policy implementation work - and fail to work - in our political system.' Eric Schickler, University of California, Berkeley