03001nam a2200493Ia 4500 247361 247361 330669 OCoLC 20200925062651.0 140508t20152015nyu b 001 0 eng 2014018137 GBB4C6289 9781107612266 (pbk) (OCoLC)879538966 (OCoLC)885226012 PUCPR eng cicg JK 1726 .C35 2015 320.973 23 Cain, Bruce E. author. 206586 Democracy more or less America's political reform quandary Bruce E. Cain. New York, NY Cambridge University Press 2015. ix, 251 pages 24 cm. txt n rdamedia nc rdacarrier Cambridge studies in election law and democracy Includes bibliographical references and index. 1. The ascendancy of reform populism -- 2. Reform pluralism -- 3. How much transparency? -- 4. Participation paradoxes -- 5. Reform cycles -- 6. Fair representation -- 7. Raising the political ethics bar -- 8. Election administration or policy? -- 9. A blended reform agenda. "Why do American political reform efforts so often fail to solve the problems they intend to fix? In this book, Bruce E. Cain argues that the reasons are an unrealistic civic ideal of a fully informed and engaged citizenry and a neglect of basic pluralist principles about political intermediaries. This book traces the tension between populist and pluralist approaches as it plays out in many seemingly distinct reform topics, such as voting administration, campaign finance, excessive partisanship, redistricting, and transparency and voter participation. It explains why political primaries have promoted partisan polarization, why voting rates are declining even as election opportunities increase, and why direct democracy is not really a grassroots tool. Cain offers a reform agenda that attempts to reconcile pluralist ideals with the realities of collective-action problems and resource disparities"-- Provided by publisher. Democracy United States. 85470 Local Representative government and representation 158538 Local Political participation 152196 Political culture 152175 Local Polarization Social sciences 152057 Local Democracy 85470 Local Law Local 150 Polarization Social sciences United States. 152057 Local Political participation United States. 152196 Political culture United States. 152175 Local Representative government and representation United States. 158538 Local United States 182913 Local Cambridge studies in election law and democracy 6 JK 1726 .C35 2015 0 0 lcc 0 JK1726 C35 02015 0 cil 195388 7 7 4 2016-05-27 Cambridge Univ. Press 25.19 532173 1 JK 1726 .C35 2015 70000000900014 2016-11-29 00:00:00 2016-10-19 c. 1 r:330669 6