ፍትህ ለሁሉም / Justice for All
A word about the title of my paper. It departs rather substantially from the assigned title (“What Ever Happened to Previous Calls for a ‘New Federalism?’”), as well as the prior assumptions with which I began work on this project. That original title fitted comfortably with what might be called a standard historical approach: review …
Introduction: The proper distribution of state versus federal authority affects nearly every policy domain—from environmental regulation to immigration policy—in American politics today. With the COVID-19 pandemic, the subject of federalism received renewed attention as policymakers across different levels of government jockeyed over the “appropriate” policy response and their inherent authority to carry out that response …
Long an exemplar of successful political and economic governance, democratic capitalism is facing renewed critiques and challenges, both internal and external. Externally, it is argued that democratic capitalism is in decline, sclerotic, unable to make important decisions quickly enough given internal squabbling and excessive focus on material reward. The argument continues that it will be …
When the delegates to the Constitutional Convention gathered in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787, they faced three broad choices regarding the relation of the states to the Union. First, they could create a single consolidated nation along the lines of England or France—perhaps preserving existing state governments as administrative units, perhaps breaking them up …
Welcome to the Weekly Constitutional, where a judgment or other formal document is taken as a starting point for exploring a matter of law and policy. This week the text is this 2021 judgment of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom. Should a government be able to pick and choose which court orders it will comply …
How do the wealthy few come to rule, and why does it matter? Aristotle tackled these questions 2300 years ago, and his answers are still eye-opening today. In this video, we explore Aristotle’s book “Politics,” where he breaks down different types of government, including oligarchy – when the rich call the shots. Aristotle didn’t just …
In this video, we explore Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s thought-provoking Theory of Stupidity, a fascinating concept that delves into human behavior, intelligence, and the nature of societal dynamics. From the origins of Bonhoeffer’s ideas during World War II to their relevance in today’s world, this video covers everything you need to know about his profound insights into …
Experts agree that the health of U.S. democracy has declined in recent years—but what does that mean? The United States is experiencing two major forms of democratic erosion in its governing institutions: election manipulation and executive overreach. Most obviously, after the 2020 election, the sitting president, despite admitting privately that he had lost, attempted to subvert the results …
The recent weeks have obliged me to unearth some research I had hoped could stay on the backburner. In 2023, I wrote about the major forms of democratic erosion facing the United States: election subversion and executive aggrandizement. “Even a legitimately elected leader can undermine democracy,” I noted, “if they eliminate governmental ‘checks and balances’ or consolidate power …
“People feel that the economy is rigged against them,” says University of Michigan economist Betsey Stevenson. “We need to design an economy that feels fairer to people,” she says. “This is the challenge of our times. It is at the heart of our political battles and at the heart of a lot of anger.” Stevenson …