Laboratories Against Democracy - (Princeton Studies in American Politics: Historical, Internat) by Jacob Grumbach

About the Book

"Even in this precarious moment for American democracy, the institutions of American federalism-that is, state governments-remain almost universally lauded. For many, the present era of national partisan polarization makes local politics even more appealing. The truth about federalism in this polarized age, however, is a bit more concerning, as Grumbach details. As the state level has become an increasingly important site of public policies that affect Americans' lives, it is also accelerating the distressing trends of the current era, including plutocratic politics, racial inequality, and democratic backsliding. The book develops a theory of the interaction between federalism and polarization, debunking common myths and misunderstandings that underpin widespread support of state governments. Whereas the framers thought federalism would incentivize state governments to customize policy to local preferences, the state level is increasingly dominated by national groups who exploit the low-information environments of amateur legislatures, inattentive local media, and identity-focused voters. Not only are well-resourced groups advantaged, but polarization diminishes the incentives for state governments to learn from the experiences of other policy laboratories. A state may risk their party's national reputation by emulating a successful policy from a state controlled by the opposing party. Taken together, this theory of polarized federalism suggests that polarization disrupts the oft-lauded features of federalism so common to theories of American governance"--

Book Synopsis

As national political fights are waged at the state level, democracy itself pays the price

Over the past generation, the Democratic and Republican parties have each become nationally coordinated political teams. American political institutions, on the other hand, remain highly decentralized. Laboratories against Democracy shows how national political conflicts are increasingly flowing through the subnational institutions of state politics--with profound consequences for public policy and American democracy.

Jacob Grumbach argues that as Congress has become more gridlocked, national partisan and activist groups have shifted their sights to the state level, nationalizing state politics in the process and transforming state governments into the engines of American policymaking. He shows how this has had the ironic consequence of making policy more varied across the states as red and blue party coalitions implement increasingly distinct agendas in areas like health care, reproductive rights, and climate change. The consequences don't stop there, however. Drawing on a wealth of new data on state policy, public opinion, money in politics, and democratic performance, Grumbach traces how national groups are using state governmental authority to suppress the vote, gerrymander districts, and erode the very foundations of democracy itself.

Required reading for this precarious moment in our politics, Laboratories against Democracy reveals how the pursuit of national partisan agendas at the state level has intensified the challenges facing American democracy, and asks whether today's state governments are mitigating the political crises of our time--or accelerating them.

Review Quotes

"Winner of the Merze Tate - Elinor Ostrom Outstanding Book Award, American Political Science Association"

"Brilliant. . . . Grumbach offers both a thoughtful examination of US federalism's inherent perils and limits and a searching interpretation of how they are compounded in our current political climate."---Colin Gordon, Jacobin

"[A] landmark book."---Nancy MacLean, New Republic

"[Jacob Grumbach] contends in this lucid analysis that the nationalization of America's major political parties threatens democracy. . . . Grumbach's claims are persuasive and timely. This is a pinpoint diagnosis of a troubling political trend."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"A New Yorker Best Book of the Year"

"Grumbach is a bit of a unicorn: deeply committed to the highest standards of theoretical and empirical rigor, strikingly uninterested in upholding the façade of academic objectivity."---Jamila Michener, Democracy

"The most persuasive and sweeping criticism of federalism yet."---Timothy Callaghan, Publius

About the Author

Jacob M. Grumbach is associate professor of political science at the University of Washington.