Feature
A collection of must-reads curated by Ash Center’s Reimagining Democracy team.
As summer unfolds, the Reimagining Democracy team invites you to engage with a curated selection of thought-provoking books and research that reflect the values and challenges of democracy in our time.
Gary Gerstle
In this follow up to his 1990 Rise and Fall of the New Deal Order, Gerstle’s book reminded me that at any particular time, the arguments between the left and the right in American politics occupy a tiny portion of the full spectrum of what is possible and very likely what is desirable. The Neoliberal Order governed America from the mid 1970s until the 2010s. What makes this period an “order” is the agreement – especially between Republicans and Democrats – on what society should look like and policies should be. If a signal moment of the New Deal order was Eisenhower’s (a Republican) endorsement of the policy basics that Roosevelt created, a watershed in the birth of neoliberalism was Bill Clinton’s (a Democrat) acceptance of the main tenants of Reaganism: free markets, deregulation, globalization, reduced social benefits.
Donald Trump has likely brought an end to the Neoliberal Order. Gerstle’s book puts the most important question squarely in front of us: what will the next political “order” look like? Do we want to try to recreate the neoliberal order, or move on to something that is hopefully better?
Melina Geser-Stark
In the 2024 election, Donald Trump saw a historic 10-point increase in support from voters aged 18 to 29—the strongest Republican youth backing since 2008. However, this shift reflects deeper disillusionment with the political system rather than a straightforward move to the right, as explored in this report.
Feature
The official start of Summer is almost here, and Stephen Richer, Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy and former elected Maricopa County Recorder, shares his summer reading list with a range of books focused on his work of democracy and elections, as well as his personal favorites.
Policy Brief
The 2024 election saw Donald Trump make significant gains among young voters, increasing his support among 18- to 29-year-olds by 10 percentage points. This report aims to investigate the deeper issues at stake that are causing this historical shift.
Commentary
In its first 100 days, the Trump administration has taken sweeping, aggressive action against federal employees, impacting hundreds of thousands of workers and sending ripple effects across the country. Still, unions have stood strong, with the AFL-CIO, AFT, AFSCME, SEIU, and others filing over a dozen lawsuits to protect workers’ rights.
Feature
The official start of Summer is almost here, and Stephen Richer, Senior Practice Fellow in American Democracy and former elected Maricopa County Recorder, shares his summer reading list with a range of books focused on his work of democracy and elections, as well as his personal favorites.
Policy Brief
In this paper, Mary W. Graham, co-director of the Center’s Transparency Policy Project, examines how unintended information inequities undermine critical health and safety alerts. Focusing on three key policies — wildfire alerts, drinking water reports, and auto safety recalls — she identifies common roots of these disparities and highlights efforts by policymakers to address them.
Commentary
Despite these unprecedented investments in mobilizing voters, overall trust in electoral health, democratic institutions, voter satisfaction, and electoral engagement have significantly declined. What might we be missing? Bruce Schneier and Hillary Lehr explore ways to enhance the voter experience in elections.
