P&P Live!: William G. Howell and Terry M. Moe – Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy

Presidents, Populism, and the Crisis of Democracy

At a time when rising populism and ineffective government threaten the end of American democracy, Howell and Moe argue that the solution ultimately lies in a re-crafting of the presidency for modern times. In this trenchant analysis of modern politics, the authors call for reforms of the presidency itself—reforms that harness the promise of presidential power for effective government but firmly protect against the fear that it may be put to antidemocratic ends. Steven Levitsky, coauthor of How Democracies Die, says of the book: “Hard as it may be for Americans to accept, our constitutional system has grown dysfunctional. Howell and Moe propose clear solutions that break sharply with the conventional wisdom. I recommend this book to anyone concerned about the fate of American democracy.”

William G. Howell is the Sydney Stein Professor in American Politics at the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy, chair of the Department of Political Science at the University of Chicago, director of the Center for Effective Government, and co-host of the Not Another Politics podcast. 

Terry M. Moe is the William Bennett Munro Professor in Political Science at Stanford University and a Senior Fellow at the Hoover Institution.