The Great Democracy, Ganesh Sitaraman
The Great Democracy, Ganesh Sitaraman
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The Great Democracy
How to Fix Our Politics, Unrig the Economy, and Unite America

Author: Ganesh Sitaraman

Narrator: Alex Hyde-White

Unabridged: 8 hr 38 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Basic Books

Published: 12/10/2019

Synopsis

A leading progressive intellectual offers an "illuminating" agenda for how real democracy can triumph in America and beyond (Ari Berman, New York Times).
Since the New Deal in the 1930s, there have been two eras in our political history: the liberal era, stretching up to the 1970s, followed by the neoliberal era of privatization and austerity ever since. In each period, the dominant ideology was so strong that it united even partisan opponents. But the neoliberal era is collapsing, and the central question of our time is what comes next.
As acclaimed legal scholar and policy expert Ganesh Sitaraman argues, two political visions now contend for the future. One is nationalist oligarchy, which rigs the system for the rich and powerful while using nationalism to mobilize support. The other is the great democracy, which fights corruption and extends both political and economic power to all people. At this decisive moment in history, The Great Democracy offers a bold, transformative agenda for achieving real democracy.

About Ganesh Sitaraman

Ganesh Sitaraman is Professor of Law and Director at the Program on Law and Government at Vanderbilt Law School. He is also cofounder and Director of Policy for the Great Democracy Initiative and a columnist at the Guardian U.S. He served as Policy Director for Elizabeth Warren during her successful Senate campaign and as her Senior Counsel in the Senate. He is the author of The Crisis of the Middle-Class Constitution: Why Economic Inequality Threatens Our Republic, a New York Times notable book.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Ryan on December 31, 2019

Contemporary US politics in a nutshell is rule by the rich for the rich, and it’s amazing that 40 years in we are still debating whether or not neoliberal policies are benefiting the majority (they clearly are not). The income gap continues to grow, economic growth continues to be siphoned to the to......more

Goodreads review by Dylan on November 12, 2020

If you want to read about a coherent, fully integrated theory of government and economy I suggest Sitaraman. He's a longtime academic and advisor to Elizabeth Warren, and his notion of a Great Democracy, marked by equal access of opportunity for all, truly representative government, and several ways......more

Goodreads review by Jatan on February 17, 2020

The book is intended to be more of a manifesto, than a well cited study that dissects different policy interventions. The author is considered to be one of the top strategy personnel behind Sen. Warren’s presidential campaign (#RIP) and was classmates with Pete Buttigieg; if anything, the book revea......more

Goodreads review by Eric on May 16, 2020

Not a bad listen, and Sitaraman has plenty of good ideas. However, he splits the divide between the liberalism of the period "New Deal" to the '70, followed by the 'neoliberalism' of privatization and austerity from then to the present. I would pose that his so-called liberal period goes much furthe......more

Goodreads review by Chris on August 25, 2020

Fantastic book. It gives an accessible account of how neoliberal policy has shaped, and damaged, both our political and economic structures over the last thirty so years. The changes advocated in this book are pragmatic, urgent, and hard to argue against, at least in spirit if not in practice. There......more

Quotes

"One of the biggest divides in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination is whether Donald Trump is a cause or a symptom of the current dysfunction in American politics. ... [Sitaraman is] firmly in the big, structural change camp, making a strong case that there is no normal to go back to. ... [His] expansive notion of democracy is the key revelation from Sitaraman's illuminating book."—Ari Berman, New York Times

"This is a major statement of principle and program from one of our most important progressive thinkers. The position Ganesh Sitaraman sets out deserves to be the benchmark for reformers going forward."—Jedediah S. Purdy, author of This Land Is Our Land and William S. Beinecke Professor of Law, Columbia Law School

"The Great Democracy is a remarkable achievement. Ganesh Sitaraman offers a far-reaching analysis of the challenges confronting American democracy and their economic underpinnings. He also proposes a comprehensive set of reforms that could actually make a difference. Read this book if you want a greater democracy."—Simon Johnson, coauthor of Jump-Starting America, 13 Bankers, and White House Burning

"This insightful, engaging book offers a vital diagnosis of our current political crisis. By explaining how we got into this mess, Ganesh Sitaraman cuts a clear and compelling path forward. There's no turning back the clock, no nostalgic return to normalcy -- only the possibility of finally making democracy great by setting our sights on the socially inclusive and economically egalitarian future we the people deserve and desire."—Astra Taylor, author of Democracy May Not Exist, But We'll Miss It When It's Gone

"It will take ideas and imagination, not just a defense of the status quo, to solve America's deep political crisis. The Great Democracy offers both in spades; though I do not agree with all of Ganesh Sitaraman's prescriptions, he has made an important contribution to the kind of bold political vision which can help to ensure that the future of liberal democracy will shine even more brightly than its past."—Yascha Mounk, author of The People vs. Democracy

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