Relic : how our constitution undermines effective government, and why we need a more powerful presidency / William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Howell, William G., author.

Moe, Terry M., author.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Constitution.

United States.

Constitution (United States).

Executive power--United States.

Executive power.

United States--Politics and government.

Politics and government.

Physical Description:

xx, 233 pages ; 22 cm

Place of Publication:

New York : Basic Books A Member of the Perseus Books Group, [2016]

Summary:

"Our government is failing us. Can we simply blame polarization, the deregulation of campaign finance, or some other nefarious force? What if the roots go much deeper, to our nation's start? In Relic, the political scientists William Howell and Terry Moe boldly argue that nothing less than the U.S. Constitution is the cause of government dysfunction. The framers came from a simple, small, agrarian society, and set forth a government comprised of separate powers, one of which, Congress, was expected to respond to the parochial concerns of citizens across the land. By design, the national government they created was incapable of taking broad and meaningful action. But a hundred years after the nation's founding, the United States was transformed into a complex, large, and industrial society. The key, they argue, is to expand the powers of the president. Presidents take a longer view of things out of concern for their legacies, and are able to act without hesitation. To back up this controversial remedy, Howell and Moe offer an incisive understanding of the Progressive Movement of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, one of the most powerful movements in American history. The Progressives shone a bright light on the mismatch between our constitutional government and the demands of modernity, and they succeeded in changing our government, sidelining Congress and installing a presidentially-led system that was more able to tackle the nation's vast social problems. Howell and Moe argue that we need a second Progressive Movement dedicated to effective government, above all to reforms that promote strong presidential leadership. For it is through the presidency that the American government can address the problems that threaten the very stability of our society"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

The Constitution, social change, and the Progressives

Congress and the pathologies of American government

The promise of presidential leadership

Toward a more effective government.

Notes:

Includes index.

Includes bibliographical references (pages 183-220) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Howell, William G., author. Relic.

ISBN:

9780465042692

0465042694

OCLC:

920018256