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The submerged state : how invisible government policies undermine American democracy / Suzanne Mettler.
Van Pelt Library HN59.2 .M485 2011
By Request
- Format:
- Book
- Author/Creator:
- Mettler, Suzanne.
- Series:
- Chicago studies in American politics
- Language:
- English
- Subjects (All):
- Politics and government.
- Americans--Attitudes.
- Americans.
- Public opinion.
- Public welfare.
- Social policy.
- United States--Social policy--Public opinion.
- United States.
- Public welfare--United States--Public opinion.
- United States--Politics and government--Public opinion.
- United States--Social policy.
- Public welfare--United States.
- United States--Politics and government--21st century.
- Democracy--United States.
- Democracy.
- Physical Description:
- 163 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm.
- Place of Publication:
- Chicago : University of Chicago Press, 2011.
- Summary:
- Why are many Americans unaware of government social benefits and so hostile to them in principle, even though they receive them? Suzanne Mettler argues that it's largely because most Americans have no idea that they are receiving them: they know they pay taxes, but they don't realize that they are benefiting every day from hidden subsidies, little-known regulations, and substantial tax breaks that make up the "submerged state."
- In recent decades, federal policymakers have increasingly shunned the outright disbursing of benefits to individuals and families and favored instead less visible and more indirect incentives and subsidies, from tax breaks to payments for services to private companies. These submerged policies, Mettler shows, obscure the role of government and exaggerate that of the market. As a result, citizens are unaware not only of the benefits they receive, but of the massive advantages given to powerful interests, such as insurance companies and the financial industry. Neither do they realize that the policies of the submerged state bestow their largest benefits on the most affluent Americans, exacerbating inequality. Mettler analyzes three Obama reforms-student aid, tax relief, and health care-to reveal the submerged state and its consequences, demonstrating how structurally difficult it is to enact policy reforms and even to obtain public recognition for achieving them. She concludes with recommendations for reform to help bring government policies back to the surface and encourage citizens to reclaim their voice in the political process. Book jacket.
- Contents:
- Confronting the submerged state
- Governance unseen
- The politics of the submerged state
- From nudge to reveal / with Matt Guardino
- Scaling back the submerged state
- The victory for student aid
- Sustaining and expanding the submerged state
- Tax and health policy
- Toward visible and vibrant democracy.
- Notes:
- Includes bibliographical references and index.
- ISBN:
- 9780226521640
- 0226521648
- 9780226521657
- 0226521656
- OCLC:
- 711050857
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