Nicholas Carnes
- Published in print:
- 2018
- Published Online:
- May 2019
- ISBN:
- 9780691182001
- eISBN:
- 9780691184203
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691182001.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, American Politics
Why are Americans governed by the rich? Millionaires make up only three percent of the public but control all three branches of the federal government. How did this happen? What stops lower-income ...
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Why are Americans governed by the rich? Millionaires make up only three percent of the public but control all three branches of the federal government. How did this happen? What stops lower-income and working-class Americans from becoming politicians? This book is a compelling and comprehensive account of why so few working-class people hold office—and what reformers can do about it. It debunks popular misconceptions (like the idea that workers are unelectable or unqualified to govern), identifies the factors that keep lower-class Americans off the ballot and out of political institutions, and evaluates a variety of reform proposals. The book shows that in the United States elections have a built-in “cash ceiling,” a series of structural barriers that make it almost impossible for the working-class to run for public office. Elections take a serious toll on candidates, many working-class Americans simply cannot shoulder the practical burdens, and civic and political leaders often pass them over in favor of white-collar candidates. But these obstacles are not inevitable. Pilot programs to recruit, train, and support working-class candidates have the potential to increase the economic diversity of our governing institutions and ultimately amplify the voices of ordinary citizens. Who runs for office goes to the heart of whether the USA has a democracy that is representative or not. The book shows that the best hope for combating the oversized political influence of the rich might simply be to help more working-class Americans become politicians.Less
Why are Americans governed by the rich? Millionaires make up only three percent of the public but control all three branches of the federal government. How did this happen? What stops lower-income and working-class Americans from becoming politicians? This book is a compelling and comprehensive account of why so few working-class people hold office—and what reformers can do about it. It debunks popular misconceptions (like the idea that workers are unelectable or unqualified to govern), identifies the factors that keep lower-class Americans off the ballot and out of political institutions, and evaluates a variety of reform proposals. The book shows that in the United States elections have a built-in “cash ceiling,” a series of structural barriers that make it almost impossible for the working-class to run for public office. Elections take a serious toll on candidates, many working-class Americans simply cannot shoulder the practical burdens, and civic and political leaders often pass them over in favor of white-collar candidates. But these obstacles are not inevitable. Pilot programs to recruit, train, and support working-class candidates have the potential to increase the economic diversity of our governing institutions and ultimately amplify the voices of ordinary citizens. Who runs for office goes to the heart of whether the USA has a democracy that is representative or not. The book shows that the best hope for combating the oversized political influence of the rich might simply be to help more working-class Americans become politicians.
Gordon Conway, Ousmane Badiane, and Katrin Glatzel
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9781501743887
- eISBN:
- 9781501744419
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Cornell University Press
- DOI:
- 10.7591/cornell/9781501743887.003.0002
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Cultural Studies
This chapter describes how African farmers manage to overcome the constraints impeding them, both natural and those caused by cultural and economic diversity and by political boundaries. It reveals ...
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This chapter describes how African farmers manage to overcome the constraints impeding them, both natural and those caused by cultural and economic diversity and by political boundaries. It reveals that over 80 percent of African farmers are smallholders, and in many respects they are highly efficient. At the same time, medium-scale farms, those between five and one hundred hectares, account for a rising share of total farmland. Nevertheless, African populations are growing extremely fast, and in many countries smallholder farm sizes are shrinking and land is becoming more intensively and extensively cultivated, leading to further degradation. The chapter indicates that the way forward lies in farmers developing resilient livelihoods that encompass sources of income off farm. Diversity in the livelihood includes rural women, young people, and other disadvantaged people, all of whom need to integrate with agricultural and agribusiness value chains.Less
This chapter describes how African farmers manage to overcome the constraints impeding them, both natural and those caused by cultural and economic diversity and by political boundaries. It reveals that over 80 percent of African farmers are smallholders, and in many respects they are highly efficient. At the same time, medium-scale farms, those between five and one hundred hectares, account for a rising share of total farmland. Nevertheless, African populations are growing extremely fast, and in many countries smallholder farm sizes are shrinking and land is becoming more intensively and extensively cultivated, leading to further degradation. The chapter indicates that the way forward lies in farmers developing resilient livelihoods that encompass sources of income off farm. Diversity in the livelihood includes rural women, young people, and other disadvantaged people, all of whom need to integrate with agricultural and agribusiness value chains.
John Scott Watson
- Published in print:
- 2016
- Published Online:
- April 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780252039867
- eISBN:
- 9780252097973
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of Illinois Press
- DOI:
- 10.5406/illinois/9780252039867.003.0005
- Subject:
- Sociology, Social Movements and Social Change
This chapter examines the goal of Prairie Crossing: to create a geography of somewhere, a place where residents would feel invested enough to volunteer their time to create genuine community. It ...
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This chapter examines the goal of Prairie Crossing: to create a geography of somewhere, a place where residents would feel invested enough to volunteer their time to create genuine community. It begins with a discussion of Prairie Crossing's third, fourth, and fifth guiding principles: “a sense of place,” which draws off of and expands many of the concepts espoused by the New Urbanism movement; “a sense of community,” which aims to encourage social interaction among residents and also between Prairie Crossing and the larger communities of Grayslake and Lake County; and “economic and racial diversity,” which seeks to remedy the tendency toward exclusivity and homogeneity in community housing. The chapter also considers the degree of residents' level of satisfaction with the Prairie Crossing Homeowners Association's governance; where Prairie Crossing, as an exemplar of the conservation community policy model, fits in relation to the new town movement; and the Prairie Crossing Charter School.Less
This chapter examines the goal of Prairie Crossing: to create a geography of somewhere, a place where residents would feel invested enough to volunteer their time to create genuine community. It begins with a discussion of Prairie Crossing's third, fourth, and fifth guiding principles: “a sense of place,” which draws off of and expands many of the concepts espoused by the New Urbanism movement; “a sense of community,” which aims to encourage social interaction among residents and also between Prairie Crossing and the larger communities of Grayslake and Lake County; and “economic and racial diversity,” which seeks to remedy the tendency toward exclusivity and homogeneity in community housing. The chapter also considers the degree of residents' level of satisfaction with the Prairie Crossing Homeowners Association's governance; where Prairie Crossing, as an exemplar of the conservation community policy model, fits in relation to the new town movement; and the Prairie Crossing Charter School.
Vibert C. Cambridge
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- September 2016
- ISBN:
- 9781628460117
- eISBN:
- 9781626746480
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University Press of Mississippi
- DOI:
- 10.14325/mississippi/9781628460117.003.0002
- Subject:
- Music, Ethnomusicology, World Music
This chapter explains how five governors ruled British Guiana between 1900 and 1920, and how the responses of these proconsuls to the colony's complex set of challenges influenced Guyana's economic, ...
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This chapter explains how five governors ruled British Guiana between 1900 and 1920, and how the responses of these proconsuls to the colony's complex set of challenges influenced Guyana's economic, political, social, and cultural life—including its musical life—for the majority of the twentieth century. These challenges had international and domestic dimensions. On the international level, the governors had to respond to the demands of Britain's policy of new imperialism. On the domestic front, the governors faced demands of opening up the hinterland as a strategy for diversifying the economy. The chapter also shows how the colony's urban soundtrack during this period involved multiple styles and several musical communities. However, despite this diversity, the governance practices of the colony state ensured that these musical aesthetics reflected the ideology of the ruling class and its allies.Less
This chapter explains how five governors ruled British Guiana between 1900 and 1920, and how the responses of these proconsuls to the colony's complex set of challenges influenced Guyana's economic, political, social, and cultural life—including its musical life—for the majority of the twentieth century. These challenges had international and domestic dimensions. On the international level, the governors had to respond to the demands of Britain's policy of new imperialism. On the domestic front, the governors faced demands of opening up the hinterland as a strategy for diversifying the economy. The chapter also shows how the colony's urban soundtrack during this period involved multiple styles and several musical communities. However, despite this diversity, the governance practices of the colony state ensured that these musical aesthetics reflected the ideology of the ruling class and its allies.
Naomi Haynes
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- January 2018
- ISBN:
- 9780520294240
- eISBN:
- 9780520967434
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- University of California Press
- DOI:
- 10.1525/california/9780520294240.003.0002
- Subject:
- Anthropology, African Cultural Anthropology
This chapter provides the ethnographic background for the rest of this book. It begins by responding to James Ferguson's (1999) well-known study of Kitwe, which portrayed the Copperbelt as a place of ...
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This chapter provides the ethnographic background for the rest of this book. It begins by responding to James Ferguson's (1999) well-known study of Kitwe, which portrayed the Copperbelt as a place of decline and despair. In contrast to Ferguson's description, this chapter situates the Copperbelt in a broader historical context of boom and bust, with regular cycles of prosperity as well as poverty. This is one of the main reasons for the optimism found during fieldwork. The chapter also offers a description of Nsofu, focused on those features of township life that facilitate moving, namely economic diversity and the large number of Pentecostal churches. In addition, it traces the development of Pentecostalism in Zambia, beginning with the arrival of the first Pentecostal missionaries in the 1950s.Less
This chapter provides the ethnographic background for the rest of this book. It begins by responding to James Ferguson's (1999) well-known study of Kitwe, which portrayed the Copperbelt as a place of decline and despair. In contrast to Ferguson's description, this chapter situates the Copperbelt in a broader historical context of boom and bust, with regular cycles of prosperity as well as poverty. This is one of the main reasons for the optimism found during fieldwork. The chapter also offers a description of Nsofu, focused on those features of township life that facilitate moving, namely economic diversity and the large number of Pentecostal churches. In addition, it traces the development of Pentecostalism in Zambia, beginning with the arrival of the first Pentecostal missionaries in the 1950s.
