Graduation Year
2020
Date of Submission
5-2020
Document Type
Open Access Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
Philosophy, Politics, and Economics (PPE)
Reader 1
George Thomas
Terms of Use & License Information
Abstract
I have set out on the hunch that politics in America “feels different,” that we are frustrated both with our institutions as well as with one another. First, I will seek to empirically verify this claim beyond mere “feelings.” If it can be shown that these kinds of discontent genuinely exist to the extent that I believe they do, I will then explain why people feel this way and why things are different this time from the economic, political, and social points of view. Next, I will examine two potential responses, what I will call the populist and the institutional response, to remedy these defects and get the country back on track. Finally, I will argue that reforming institutions is the best way to fix institutions, and that a serious commitment to doing so beyond our current understanding of reform is what will be necessary to repair our democracy.
Recommended Citation
D'Anieri, Thomas, "Healthy and Unhealthy Responses to American Democratic Institutional Failure" (2020). CMC Senior Theses. 2419.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2419
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