Sidney M. Milkis - Böcker

In Can Capitalism and Democracy Be Reconciled?, Sidney M. Milkis and Scott C. Miller have gathered a truly eminent cast of contributors to provide a multidisciplinary examination at the intersection of capitalist economies and democratic political systems across time and space. Featuring twenty-four essays from scholars across nine different academic fields, the volume interrogates the ideas, history, and policy behind these two pillars of liberal society. The volume begins with an introduction that explores the vibrant historical debate over whether democracy and capitalism can and should coexist in America. The contributors, further examining the United States and comparable countries, conclude that democracy and capitalism can be reconciled; at the same time, many recognize that the relationship is fragile and urge systemic changes that might sustain democratic capitalism in the future. The core thematic sections begin with an examination of the foundational yet fluid meaning of democracy and capitalism and consider the inherent tensions in reconciling them. The remaining sections address the underlying causes of, and solutions to, five modern "pathologies" of democratic capitalism: 1) Environmental Degradation; 2) Governance and Consolidation of Private Power; 3) Inequality and Opportunity; 4) Polarization; and 5) Frictions at the Intersection of Popular Will and Sound Policy. By examining these pathologies from many disciplinary and temporal angles, this volume provides a rounded understanding of why these pathologies arose, how they have influenced society, and how free people can reform their political economy to bring it more in line with their values.

In Can Capitalism and Democracy Be Reconciled?, Sidney M. Milkis and Scott C. Miller have gathered a truly eminent cast of contributors to provide a multidisciplinary examination at the intersection of capitalist economies and democratic political systems across time and space. Featuring twenty-four essays from scholars across nine different academic fields, the volume interrogates the ideas, history, and policy behind these two pillars of liberal society. The volume begins with an introduction that explores the vibrant historical debate over whether democracy and capitalism can and should coexist in America. The contributors, further examining the United States and comparable countries, conclude that democracy and capitalism can be reconciled; at the same time, many recognize that the relationship is fragile and urge systemic changes that might sustain democratic capitalism in the future. The core thematic sections begin with an examination of the foundational yet fluid meaning of democracy and capitalism and consider the inherent tensions in reconciling them. The remaining sections address the underlying causes of, and solutions to, five modern "pathologies" of democratic capitalism: 1) Environmental Degradation; 2) Governance and Consolidation of Private Power; 3) Inequality and Opportunity; 4) Polarization; and 5) Frictions at the Intersection of Popular Will and Sound Policy. By examining these pathologies from many disciplinary and temporal angles, this volume provides a rounded understanding of why these pathologies arose, how they have influenced society, and how free people can reform their political economy to bring it more in line with their values.

Few relationships have proved more pivotal in changing the course of American politics than those between presidents and social movements. For all their differences, both presidents and social movements are driven by a desire to recast the political system, often pursuing rival agendas that set them on a collision course. Even when their interests converge, these two actors often compete to control the timing and conditions of political change. During rare historical moments, however, presidents and social movements forged partnerships that profoundly recast American politics.Rivalry and Reform explores the relationship between presidents and social movements throughout history and into the present day, revealing the patterns that emerge from the epic battles and uneasy partnerships that have profoundly shaped reform. Through a series of case studies, including Abraham Lincoln and abolitionism, Lyndon Johnson and the civil rights movement, and Ronald Reagan and the religious right, Sidney M. Milkis and Daniel J. Tichenor argue persuasively that major political change usually reflects neither a top-down nor bottom-up strategy but a crucial interplay between the two. Savvy leaders, the authors show, use social movements to support their policy goals. At the same time, the most successful social movements target the president as either a source of powerful support or the center of opposition. The book concludes with a consideration of Barack Obama’s approach to contemporary social movements such as Black Lives Matter, United We Dream, and Marriage Equality.

From two expert presidential scholars comes a new answer to why the Trump presidency happened: decades of partisanship and policies have centered the president as the sole focus of American government to create a treacherous system whose danger may far outlive the politics of Donald J. Trump.The election of Donald J. Trump on November 6, 2016, changed how we understand the American presidency—but this transformation was not of his own making. His unprecedented rise to power led to an administration where Trump brazenly defied established constitutional norms and institutions. Yet, as Nicholas F. Jacobs and Sidney M. Milkis reveal, Trump’s presidency was not merely a shocking departure from tradition, but a symptom of a constitutional disease that had has long afflicted the American polity. They call this condition presidentialism, a dangerous shift towards an executive-centered politics and government that places immense power in the hands of a single individual.While some scholars of American politics view the Trump presidency as a cult of personality, Jacobs and Milkis argue that his unsettling ascent to the White House was decades in the making, the result of numerous cultural, institutional, and constitutional changes. From aggressively redeploying the federal government’s administrative powers, to using the tools of the modern presidency to undertake a hostile takeover of the Republican Party, Trump’s presidency reveals the peril of a presidency-centered democracy that combines executive aggrandizement and polarizing struggles over the meaning of American identity. The disruptive features of the Trump presidency should not be viewed as an ephemeral phenomenon, nor does Donald Trump’s departure from the White House end the threat that presidentialism poses to American democracy.Subverting the Republic explains why the Trump presidency happened—and why it might happen again.

From two expert presidential scholars comes a new answer to why the Trump presidency happened: decades of partisanship and policies have centered the president as the sole focus of American government to create a treacherous system whose danger may far outlive the politics of Donald J. Trump.The election of Donald J. Trump on November 6, 2016, changed how we understand the American presidency—but this transformation was not of his own making. His unprecedented rise to power led to an administration where Trump brazenly defied established constitutional norms and institutions. Yet, as Nicholas F. Jacobs and Sidney M. Milkis reveal, Trump’s presidency was not merely a shocking departure from tradition, but a symptom of a constitutional disease that had has long afflicted the American polity. They call this condition presidentialism, a dangerous shift towards an executive-centered politics and government that places immense power in the hands of a single individual.While some scholars of American politics view the Trump presidency as a cult of personality, Jacobs and Milkis argue that his unsettling ascent to the White House was decades in the making, the result of numerous cultural, institutional, and constitutional changes. From aggressively redeploying the federal government’s administrative powers, to using the tools of the modern presidency to undertake a hostile takeover of the Republican Party, Trump’s presidency reveals the peril of a presidency-centered democracy that combines executive aggrandizement and polarizing struggles over the meaning of American identity. The disruptive features of the Trump presidency should not be viewed as an ephemeral phenomenon, nor does Donald Trump’s departure from the White House end the threat that presidentialism poses to American democracy.Subverting the Republic explains why the Trump presidency happened—and why it might happen again.

The U.S. Constitution makes no mention of political parties, yet parties began to form shortly after its ratification. Today, American democracy would not work without them. In Political Parties and Constitutional Government, Sidney Milkis explores the uneasy relationship between the Constitution and the party system to advance a novel argument: political parties arose as part of a deliberate program of constitutional reform. Forged on the anvil of Jeffersonian and Jacksonian democracy, parties initially formed as decentralized political associations that engaged the attention of ordinary citizens and held presidents accountable to local constituencies. But as the power of the presidency and the federal government grew, parties shifted their attention from building political support in the states and localities to vying for control over national administration and, in the process, lost their vital connection to the electorate. In the past thirty years, partisan disputes have more often than not involved confrontations between the president and Congress that have undermined the public's respect for American political institutions.With the decline of localized parties, Milkis concludes, there has arisen an administrative politics of rights and entitlements that belittles the efforts of Democrats and Republicans alike to define a collective purpose. Ending with a discussion of possible methods of revitalization and reform, this timely book does much to explain the reasons behind Americans' disenchantment with parties and the party system.

The Politics of Major Policy Reform in Postwar America examines the politics of recent landmark policy in areas such as homeland security, civil rights, health care, immigration and trade, and it does so within a broad theoretical and historical context. By considering the politics of major programmatic reforms in the United States since the Second World War - specifically, courses of action aimed at dealing with perceived public problems - a group of distinguished scholars sheds light not only on significant efforts to ameliorate widely recognized ills in domestic and foreign affairs but also on systemic developments in American politics and government. In sum, this volume provides a comprehensive understanding of how major policy breakthroughs are achieved, stifled, or compromised in a political system conventionally understood as resistant to major change.

The Politics of Major Policy Reform in Postwar America examines the politics of recent landmark policy in areas such as homeland security, civil rights, health care, immigration and trade, and it does so within a broad theoretical and historical context. By considering the politics of major programmatic reforms in the United States since the Second World War - specifically, courses of action aimed at dealing with perceived public problems - a group of distinguished scholars sheds light not only on significant efforts to ameliorate widely recognized ills in domestic and foreign affairs but also on systemic developments in American politics and government. In sum, this volume provides a comprehensive understanding of how major policy breakthroughs are achieved, stifled, or compromised in a political system conventionally understood as resistant to major change.