The Submerged State: How Invisible Government Policies Undermine American Democracy

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AuthorSuzanne Mettler
PublisherUniversity of Chicago Press
PublishedJan 29 2021
Book FormatHardcover
ISBN-139780226521640
Dimensions9.1 X 6.1 X 0.7 inches
Weight 0.85 pounds
BISAC
CategoriesPolitical Science > Public Policy - Social Policy
LanguageEnglish

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Book Description

Keep your government hands off my Medicare! Such comments spotlight a central question animating Suzanne Mettler's provocative and timely book: why are many Americans unaware of government social benefits and so hostile to them in principle, even though they receive them? The Obama administration has been roundly criticized for its inability to convey how much it has accomplished for ordinary citizens. Mettler argues that this difficulty is not merely a failure of communication; rather it is endemic to the formidable presence of the submerged state.

In recent decades, federal policymakers have increasingly shunned the outright disbursing of benefits to individuals and families and favored instead less visible and more indirect incentives and subsidies, from tax breaks to payments for services to private companies. These submerged policies, Mettler shows, obscure the role of government and exaggerate that of the market. As a result, citizens are unaware not only of the benefits they receive, but of the massive advantages given to powerful interests, such as insurance companies and the financial industry. Neither do they realize that the policies of the submerged state shower their largest benefits on the most affluent Americans, exacerbating inequality. Mettler analyzes three Obama reforms--student aid, tax relief, and health care--to reveal the submerged state and its consequences, demonstrating how structurally difficult it is to enact policy reforms and even to obtain public recognition for achieving them. She concludes with recommendations for reform to help make hidden policies more visible and governance more comprehensible to all Americans.

The sad truth is that many American citizens do not know how major social programs work--or even whether they benefit from them. Suzanne Mettler's important new book will bring government policies back to the surface and encourage citizens to reclaim their voice in the political process.

Author Bio

Suzanne Mettler is the John L. Senior Professor of American Institutions in the Government Department at Cornell University. Her research and teaching interests include American political development, inequality, public policy, political behavior, and democracy.

Mettler’s latest book is Four Threats: The Recurring Crises of American Democracy (St. Martin’s Press, 2020), co-authored with Robert C. Lieberman. Earlier books include: The Government-Citizen Disconnect (Russell Sage 2018); Degrees of Inequality: How The Politics of Higher Education Sabotaged the American Dream (Basic Books 2014), The Submerged State: How Invisible Government Programs Undermine American Democracy (University of Chicago 2011), Dividing Citizens: Gender and Federalism In New Deal Public Policy (Cornell University Press 1998) and Soldiers to Citizens: The G.I. Bill and the Making of the Greatest Generation (Oxford University Press 2005). Her books have won numerous prizes, including the Alexander George Book Award of the International Society of Political Psychology; on two occasions, the Kammerer Book Award of the American Political Science Association for the best book on public policy; and the J. David Greenstone Award for the best book on politics and history. Her short essays and op-eds have been featured in popular outlets including the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Chronicle of Higher Education, and Washington Monthly. She is conducting a panel study of public opinion on the Affordable Care Act, with Larry Jacobs.

Mettler has been elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and awarded Guggenheim and Radcliffe Fellowships. She serves on the steering committee of the Scholars Strategy Network and the board of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences. She is the former secretary of the American Political Science Association, and president of the organization’s Politics and History and Public Policy sections. She initiated the American Democracy Collaborative, a group of scholars of American political development and comparative politics who are evaluating the health of democracy in the United States.

Research Interests

Suzanne Mettler's research and teaching focus on American political development, public policy, and political behavior. “She is particularly interested in issues pertaining to democracy (both democratization and backsliding), inequality, and citizenship.

Education