In the past thirty years, Americans have lost faith in their
government and the politicians who lead it. They have blamed
Washington for a long list of problems, ranging from poor schools
to costly medical care to high rates of violent crime. After
investigating these complaints and determining that many are
justified, Derek Bok seeks to determine the main reasons for the
failings and frustrations associated with government.
Discounting three common explanations--deteriorating leadership,
the effect of the media on the political process, and the influence
of interest groups--Bok identifies four weaknesses that
particularly need explaining: a persistent tendency by Congress to
design programs poorly; to impose expensive and often quixotic
regulations that produce only modest results; to do less than other
leading democracies to protect working people from illness,
unemployment, and other basic hazards of life; and to leave large
numbers of people, especially children, living in poverty.
Bok goes on to explore the reasons for these fundamental
weaknesses and to discuss popular remedies such as term limits,
devolution, "reinventing" government, and campaign finance reform.
While some of these proposals have merit, Bok finds a deeper, more
troubling paradox: Americans want to gain more power over their
government, but are devoting less time to exerting a constructive
influence. Their dissatisfaction with government is growing as
their participation in the political process is declining. These
contradictory trends, Bok argues, contribute to the problems of our
democracy. Fortunately, there are many concrete steps that
Americans can take to be politically engaged and to help
theirgovernment improve its performance.
"Democracy," Bok concludes, "is a collective venture which
falters or flourishes depending on the efforts citizens invest in
its behalf."
General
Imprint: |
Harvard University Press
|
Country of origin: |
United States |
Release date: |
March 2002 |
First published: |
March 2002 |
Authors: |
Derek Bok
|
Dimensions: |
235 x 156 x 26mm (L x W x T) |
Format: |
Paperback
|
Pages: |
507 |
Edition: |
New Ed |
ISBN-13: |
978-0-674-00832-8 |
Categories: |
Books >
Social sciences >
Politics & government >
Central government >
General
|
LSN: |
0-674-00832-4 |
Barcode: |
9780674008328 |
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