Democracy Between the Lines: Medicaid, Federalism, and the People’s Trust
Channel: New America
Date: 2018-05-24

What’s the scope of democracy? Is it defined by formal procedures, such as voting, volunteering, or running for office? Or should we understand democracy, for most people, to include all their interactions with public agencies and programs that shape their view of societal obligations and government? 

In Fragmented Democracy, Cornell University Professor Jamila Michener argues that how people are served or not served by social policy shapes how they perceive their own political power and meaning. Focusing on Medicaid, and the disparities created by its federalist structure, Michener’s work shows that the unequal politics of Medicaid affects not only health but the well-being of American democracy.

Join the Political Reform and Family-Centered Social Policy Programs at New America for an discussion of the evidence that unequal, poorly designed programs decrease public trust and that better state policies can improve the well-being of individuals as well as civic life. Experts across journalism, government, and academia will bring their own perspectives on the connection between policy choices and democratic politics.

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