Prioritizing Democracy: a reading list

Written By Hans Noel

I’m prioritizing democracy and political parties in my American Government Ph.D. seminar this semester. Here are four books from that I’d recommend to you. 

1. Democracy for Realists (Chris Achen and Larry Bartels): Does democracy help hold politicians accountable? Achen and Bartels argue that elections are a blunt and often clumsy tool.

2. Partisan Hostility and American Democracy (Jamie Druckman, Samara Klar, Yanna Krupnikov, Matthew Levendusky and John Barry Ryan): Does animosity across the political divide threaten democracy? The authors document both useful and detrimental effects, mostly driven by the choices of politicians more than voters. 

3. The Power of the Badge (Emily Farris and Mirya R. Holman): Policy implementation is often in the hands of sheriffs. Farris and Holman show increasing ties between sheriffs and right-wing groups, and weakening effectiveness of accountability in their election.

4. In Defense of Partisanship (Julian Zelizer): Focusing on Congress, Zelizer traces attitudes toward parties in U.S. democracy. He argues for reforms to encourage more responsible political parties. 

Hans Noel

Hans Noel is Associate Professor of Government at Georgetown University. His research is on political coalitions, political parties and ideology, with a focus on the United States. He is the author or co-author of four books, including Political Ideologies and Political Parties in America and The Party Decides: Presidential Nominations Before and After Reform (with Martin Cohen, David Karol and John Zaller). His research has appeared in the American Political Science Review, the Journal of Politics, Perspectives on Politics, among other journals. He received his Ph.D. from UCLA in 2006.

https://hansnoel.georgetown.domains
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