Sources of change: Prioritizing parties
We outline two seemingly contradictory observations about political parties in the United States: Parties are essential to democracy, but U.S. institutions are often hostile to them.
October 17, 2023
Poland just showed the world how democracy wins
Poland’s surprise opposition victory reveals the most important pro-democracy maxim: don’t let the coalition fracture.
October 17, 2023
Sources of change: Toward a different kind of party government — proportional representation for federal elections
In this chapter, we give some ‘pros and cons’ of three PR forms: mixed-member proportional, single transferable vote, and open-list proportional.
October 16, 2023
Sources of change: Encouraging cooperation and responsibility
The American party system has developed in a context which traditionally includes partisan primaries, categorical ballots and plurality winners chosen in single-round elections.
October 16, 2023
Sources of change: Factions, moderation, and democratic responsibility
In addressing how factions and organizational issues within and across the parties influence whether parties and leaders behave responsibly, this chapter assesses party and actor incentives.
October 15, 2023
Sources of change: Social movements and U.S. political parties — evolutionary and revolutionary change
Change is less about new ideas and more about new considerations of communities with longstanding investments in the work of liberation.
October 13, 2023
Sources of change: Mass political behavior and party incentives
This chapter lays out a description of the current political motivations driving voters, the biases they bring with them, and how the two parties are playing to different audiences.
October 13, 2023
How did we get here: Protecting democracy from state level threats in the age of national parties
The collision of nationalized parties and state governance calls for new national policy to protect and expand democratic institutions across all states.
October 13, 2023
How did we get here: Primaries, polarization, and party control
We examine the existing evidence on party primaries and political polarization and find that primary elections are not strongly related to polarization.
October 12, 2023
How did we get here: Women and minorities in American political parties
Federal law was necessary to stop states from discriminating against minorities in 1965; it may be necessary today.
October 12, 2023