This book argues that American democracy is in crisis. The economic system is slowly subjecting Americans of nearly all income levels and backgrounds to enormous amounts of stress. The United States lacks the state capacity required to alleviate this stress, and politicians increasingly find that if they promise to solve economic problems, they are likely to disappoint voters. Instead, they encourage voters to blame each other. The crisis cannot be solved, the economy cannot be set right, and democracy cannot be saved. But American democracy cannot be killed, either. Americans can't imagine any compelling alternative political systems. And so, American democracy continues on, in a deeply unsatisfying way. Americans invent ever-more elaborate coping mechanisms in a desperate bid to go on. But it becomes increasingly clear that the way is shut. The American political system was made by those who are dead, and the dead keep it.

Explains the crisis of American democracy in a way that deeply embeds it in the American economic system Takes seriously the obstacles to solving economic problems and criticizes attempts by political actors Develops a new theory of legitimacy crisis, building on a journal article the author recently published

Autorentext

Benjamin Studebaker received his PhD in Politics and International Studies from the University of Cambridge, UK.

Inhalt

Chapter 1. The Unsolvable Problem.- Chapter 2. False Hope.- Chapter 3. Chronic Crisis.- Chapter 4. Dream Eating Democracy.- Chapter 5. No Escape.- Chapter 6. What if This Book is Wrong?.