The submerged state
Subtitle: how invisible government policies undermine American democracy
By: Suzanne Mettler
Series: Chicago studies in American politics
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
Published: 2011
Place of publication: Chicago; London
Language: eng
Number of pages: 163
ISBN-13: 9780226521640; 9780226521657
Subjects: Politics and government; Public opinion; Americans; Public welfare; Democracy; Attitudes; Social policy
Description: 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 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 shower their largest benefits on the most affluent Americans, exacerbating inequality. The author 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 make hidden policies more visible and governance more comprehensible to all Americans.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references and index.
Table of contents: title: Confronting the submerged state; title: Governance unseen; title: The politics of the submerged state; title: From nudge to reveal / with Matt Guardino; title: Scaling back the submerged state; title: The victory for student aid; title: Sustaining and expanding the submerged state; title: Tax and health policy; title: Toward visible and vibrant democracy.