End of Authority

Douglas E. Schoen is a prominent American political analyst, pollster, author, and commentator. His many books include Hopelessly Divided: The New Crisis of American Politics and What it Means for 2012 and Beyond (Rowman & Littlefield).

In this magisterial work, Schoen, best known as a high-powered pollster and political analyst, presents a provocative and powerfully argued thesis that governments face a crisis of authority that undermines their ability to generate loyalty and support. So profound is this situation that 'we face a crisis that threatens the political and economic foundations of the global order,' he says. Schoen argues that 'the crisis of authority stems from the failure of institutions, especially of government but also of business to provide effective leadership.' The consequence, Schoen writes, is that 'the loss of trust is rendering us, in a collective sense, impotent and inactive in the face of enormous global challenges.' Schoen calls on readers to 'reform and improve international institutional leadership,' to 'strengthen nation-state governance,' and to 'direct specific reform and relief efforts ... in order to ensure that the benefits ... reach the people for whom they're intended.' This book is data rich, and the author never gets out ahead of the evidence. If Schoen's thesis is true, the global crisis of leadership is more of a threat than climate change or international conflicts. Summing Up: Highly recommended. All readership levels.

• Introduction: The Crisis of AuthorityChapter 1: Why the Crisis of Authority MattersChapter 2: Documenting and Understanding the Loss of TrustChapter 3: How Trust Works in Democracies and AutocraciesChapter 4: Broken Trust in Democracies and AutocraciesChapter 5: Income Inequality and the Crisis of Capitalism Chapter 6: Income Inequality: What’s Causing It, Why it Matters, and What to DoChapter 7: Political Corruption and Crony CapitalismChapter 8: The Rise of Anti-Systemic Politics: Europe and the United StatesChapter 9: The Rise of Anti-Systemic Politics: Russia, India, The Middle East, and AfricaChapter 10: Technology: Builder and Betrayer of TrustChapter 11: The Need for Bold SolutionsConclusion: No Time to Lose