The Democratic Wish: Popular Participation and the Limits of American Government Book

The degree to which US government is participative has changed from more participative to less participative and back again many times in US history. Morone traces the history of participative democracy as a series of political movements occurring in various times in US history where decision-making and policy development were pushed down to the people instead of the government. When describing the history of the successive movements, Morone discusses the lessons learned and changes made. According to Morone, the people have not yet maintained a true participative government because corruption and competing interests continually absorb the movement.

The movements Morone described began in similar ways'the current government would reach an impasse and struggle to create policy and progress. Upon realizing the ineffectiveness of government, communities of like-minded citizens would bind together under a common cause and advocate for government or social change. For example, in the Jackson presidency, Jackson himself imposed term limits in the Congress and resisted replacing federal employees with party loyalists and friends, which was a common practice at the time. The term limits, in particular, were a progressive idea that is still in place in modern US government. According to Morone, the rotation of delegates resembles the progressive idea of seeking expert input to achieve effective public policy.

It's a heavy book, but very informative. If you have a serious interest in understanding progressive government, it's a must-read.