Why Nothing Works

A provocative exploration about the architecture of power, the forces that stifle us from getting things done, and how we can restore confidence in democratically elected government-"the best book to date on the biggest political issue that nobody is talking about" (Matthew Yglesias)

America was once a country that did big things-we built the world's greatest rail network, a vast electrical grid, interstate highways, abundant housing, the Social Security system, the Tennessee Valley Authority, and more. But today, even while facing a host of pressing challenges-a housing shortage, a climate crisis, a dilapidated infrastructure-we feel stuck, unable to move the needle. Why?

America is today the victim of a vetocracy that allows nearly anyone to stifle progress. While conservatives deserve some blame, progressives have overlooked an unlikely culprit: their own fears of "The Establishment." A half-century ago, progressivism's designs on getting stuff done were eclipsed by a desire to box in government. Reformers put speaking truth to power ahead of exercising that power for good. The ensuing gridlock has pummeled faith in public institutions of all sorts, stifled the movement's ability to deliver on its promises, and, most perversely, opened the door for MAGA-style populism.

A century ago, Americans were similarly frustrated-and progressivism pointed the way out. The same can happen again. Marc J. Dunkelman vividly illustrates what progressives must do if they are going to break through today's paralysis and restore, once again, confidence in democratically elected government. To get there, reformers will need to acknowledge where they've gone wrong. Progressivism's success moving forward hinges on the movement's willingness to rediscover its roots.

Marc J. Dunkelman is a fellow at Brown University's Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. His work at Brown focuses on the architecture of American community and the progressive movement's evolving view of power. He is the author of The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community, of which former President Bill Clinton said, "Marc Dunkelman gets it. In The Vanishing Neighbor, he shows how the traditional web of relationships that makes up American life is undergoing fundamental change, why it matters, and what we need to do about it".

During more than a dozen years working in Washington, Dunkelman served as a senior fellow at the Clinton Foundation, on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as legislative director and chief of staff to a member of the House of Representatives, and as the vice president for strategy and communications at the Democratic Leadership Council. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, Chronicle of Higher Education, Daily Beast, and National Affairs, among other publications.