The Broken Republic

Abstract

Advocates for the American republic have long celebrated its capacity for reinvention in the face of new challenges.  But there are reasons to question that claim today.  The American system of government is broken.  It cannot respond effectively to major problems or reconfigure itself to perform better.  It would be misguided to blame President Trump alone for this state of affairs. Trump policies are largely a symptom of systemic failure, not the cause. The weaknesses of the American republic go to the core of its current design, which is not equal to the requirements of a large and complex society. The system is over-centralized. Federal institutions are incapable of expressing and reconciling the aspirations of American citizens. States lack capacity to compensate for dysfunction in Washington.  Political innovation and systemic reform are hampered by a nationalized party duopoly, constitutional rigidity, and populist political culture. In large part, design flaws in the current system are unintended consequence of a century of good-government reforms. If these flaws are not repaired, social and political instability within the United States is likely to increase.