When Democracy Falters: A Multidisciplinary, Multi-book Review Essay on Polarization, Populism, and Authoritarianism
中文摘要
本文这篇多书评论认为，身份驱动的极化与制度设计相互作用，侵蚀了民主护栏。以经济学家的视角研读 Heather Cox Richardson 的《民主觉醒》(Democracy Awakening)、Tom Schaller 与 Paul Waldman 的《白人乡村愤怒》(White Rural Rage) 以及 Ezra Klein 的《我们为何极化》(Why We're Polarized)，我强调两个论点。第一，当制度未能提供广泛共享的安全与尊严时，反多元主义方案便获得了合法性与回旋空间。第二，关于归属、公民身份以及政府对人民所负义务的问题，受到文化与制度信任的影响。美国文化本身并不容易导向族裔民族主义，但这些书论证了这样一个美国：它当下正——或许一直以来都——因对“我们”是谁的观念不同而处于分裂。我将这些书置于关于民粹主义、极化与制度的经济学文献之中，并考察我们能从中学到什么，以在美国同时重建繁荣与民主韧性。(JEL D02, D72, D91, J11, J15, Z13)
Abstract
This multi-book review argues that identity-driven polarization interacts with institutional design to erode democratic guardrails. Reading Heather Cox Richardson’s Democracy Awakening, Tom Schaller, and Paul Waldman’s White Rural Rage, and Ezra Klein’s Why We’re Polarized through an economist’s lens, I emphasize two claims. First, when institutions fail to deliver broadly shared security and dignity, anti-pluralist projects gain legitimacy and room to maneuver. Second, questions of belonging, citizenship, and the obligations of government to the people are informed by culture and institutional trust. The culture of the United States is not one that lends itself readily to ethno-nationalism, but these books make a case for an America that is, and perhaps has always, been divided by notions of who “we” are. I situate the books within the economics literature on populism, polarization, and institutions, and examine what we can learn about rebuilding both prosperity and democratic resilience in the United States. (JEL D02, D72, D91, J11, J15, Z13)