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America's Failing Experiment Kirby Goidel

America's Failing Experiment By Kirby Goidel

America's Failing Experiment by Kirby Goidel


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Summary

In this book, author Kirby Goidel makes the controversial case that the American political system suffers from too much democracy and that the trend toward greater democratization has led to greater citizen frustration, increasing distrust of government, and institutional gridlock.

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America's Failing Experiment Summary

America's Failing Experiment: How We the People Have Become the Problem by Kirby Goidel

Written in a provocative, jargon-free style ideal for stimulating classroom discussion, America's Failing Experiment directly challenges would-be reformers who believe the solution to our current political paralysis is more democracy. Kirby Goidel finds that the fault for our contemporary political dysfunction resides not with our elected officials but with our democratic citizenries. He argues that our elected officials are overly responsive to public opinion which is often poorly informed, incoherent, and uncertain. The result is a more polarized political system, rising inequality, and institutional gridlock. Though not new, these concerns take on deeper political significance in a digital age where information flows more quickly and opportunities for feedback are virtually unlimited. If the diagnosis is too much democracy, the counterintuitive solution runs against our cultural norms-less citizen involvement, greater discretion for political elites, and greater collective responsibility.

America's Failing Experiment Reviews

Many of the academics who began their teaching and research careers during the troubling and depressing eras of Vietnam and Watergate hoped to contribute to a better political system nurtured by less economic and representational inequality and enlightened by greater wisdom from our informational resources. Hopefully, all of this would lead to more informed, cogent and sophisticated voter choices amidst a complicated political issue environment. These academics are now nearing the end of their careers wondering what happened to these hopes for that better political system. Among the next generation of scholars, Professor Goidel provides us with a lucent description of our problems and a prescription for that transformed and better political system. This work is for all of us who understand that our governmental system and way of life confront enormous problems and challenges yet still dream of better tomorrows. -- Anthony J. Eksterowicz, Professor Emeritus, James Madison University
Are we the people our Founders warned us about? Kirby Goidel lays out a compelling case for the sources of government failure in the United States. To no small extent, it resides with us and the institutional changes we made to our political system. These changes increased democratic controls, but also decreased accountability and long-range thinking, leading to a crisis-management approach to governing. In his 'recovery plan,' Goidel challenges us to think creatively about institutional and constitutional reform to preserve the Republic-before it is too late. -- Ronald Keith Gaddie, author, Regulating Wetland Protection: Environmental Federalism and the States

About Kirby Goidel

Kirby Goidel is professor and fellow in the Public Policy Research Institute and the Department of Communication at Texas A&M University. Previously, he was the Scripps Howard Professor of Mass Communication and a professor in the Department of Political Science at Louisiana State University where he also served as director of the Public Policy Research Lab. He is co-editor of Survey Practice, a journal sponsored by the American Association of Public Opinion Research (AAPOR).

Table of Contents

Introduction: We Are the Problem Chapter 1: Constitutional Design and Democracy Chapter 2: Political Psychology and Democratic Competence Chapter 3: Political Inequality and Campaign Finance Chapter 4: The News Media, New Media, and Democracy Chapter 5: Gridlock and American Political Institutions Chapter 6: Do No Harm Chapter 7: America's Recovery Plan

Additional information

CIN1442247509G
9781442247505
1442247509
America's Failing Experiment: How We the People Have Become the Problem by Kirby Goidel
Used - Good
Paperback
Rowman & Littlefield
2015-04-09
244
N/A
Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.
This is a used book - there is no escaping the fact it has been read by someone else and it will show signs of wear and previous use. Overall we expect it to be in good condition, but if you are not entirely satisfied please get in touch with us

Customer Reviews - America's Failing Experiment