A Wealth Tax is Fool’s Gold
The appeal of a federal wealth tax is undeniable. Progressive politicians tout it as a powerful tool to combat rising...
American Politics
Midterm Surge and Decline: Political Pattern or Statistical Artifact?
The phenomenon of midterm surge and decline has become a staple of American electoral commentary, appearing in nearly every journalistic...
Reality Check: What Happens When Political Parties Actually Try to Work Together
Political rhetoric consistently celebrates bipartisanship as a democratic virtue, yet scholarly attention to this phenomenon remains surprisingly limited. While politicians...
C-SPAN’s Democratic Deficit
For over four decades, C-SPAN has served as America's primary window into the workings of Congress and federal government. Created...
Technocracy in America: Virtual Communities and the Transformation of Democratic Life
If Alexis de Tocqueville were to visit America today, armed with the same keen observational powers that produced Democracy in...
Town Hall Democracy: From Colonial Participation to Campaign Theater
Recent electoral cycles have witnessed a striking resurgence in "town hall meetings" as a preferred format for political debates and...
Why Don’t Ruling Parties Create Permanent Legislative Majorities Through Redistricting?
Every decade, after the census, state legislatures across America engage in the ultimate exercise of political power: redrawing electoral districts....
80 Cents on the Dollar? A Critical Analysis of Federal Grants to State Governments
State governments across America face a fundamental dilemma: accept federal funding with strings attached, or forgo billions in resources that...
The Paradox of Political Ambition: Why Anyone Would Want to Run for Office
"You'd have to be crazy to run." This observation about modern politics has become almost cliché, yet it captures a...
Presidential Ideal Points in the Age of Trump: A Suggestion for Future Research
One of the more powerful tools in understanding American political institutions is the ideal point estimate — a statistical summary...