White-Collar Government: The Hidden Role of Class in Economic Policy Making (Chicago Studies in American Politics)

Eight of the last twelve presidents were millionaires when they took office. Millionaires have a majority on the Supreme Court, and they also make up majorities in Congress, where a background in business or law is the norm and the average member has spent less than two percent of his or her adult life in a working-class job. Why is it that most politicians in America are so much better off than the people who elect them— and does the social class divide between citizens and their representatives matter? With White-Collar Government , Nicholas Carnes answers this question with a resounding—and disturbing—yes. Legislators’ socioeconomic backgrounds, he shows, have a profound impact on both how they view the issues and the choices they make in office. Scant representation from among the working class almost guarantees that the policymaking process will be skewed toward outcomes that favor the upper class. It matters that the wealthiest Americans set the tax rates for the wealthy, that white-collar professionals choose the minimum wage for blue-collar workers, and that people who have always had health insurance decide whether or not to help those without. And while there is no one cause for this crisis of representation, Carnes shows that the problem does not stem from a lack of qualified candidates from among the working class. The solution, he argues, must involve a variety of changes, from the equalization of campaign funding to a shift in the types of candidates the parties support. If we want a government for the people, we have to start working toward a government that is truly by the people. White-Collar Government challenges long-held notions about the causes of political inequality in the United States and speaks to enduring questions about representation and political accountability. Eight of the last twelve presidents were millionaires when they took office. Millionaires also make up majorities on the Supreme Court and in Congress, where the average member has spent less than two percent of his or her adult life in a working-class job. Why is it that most politicians in America are so much better off than the people who elect them-and does the social class divide between citizens and their representatives matter? With White-Collar Government, Nicholas Carnes answers this question with a resounding-and disturbing-yes. Legislators' socioeconomic backgrounds have a profound impact not only on how they view the issues but also on the choices they make in office. Scant representation from among the working class almost guarantees that the policy-making process will be skewed toward outcomes that favor the upper class. It matters that the wealthiest Americans set the tax rates for the wealthy, that white-collar professionals choose the minimum wage for blue-collar workers, and that people who have always had health insurance decide whether to help those without. And while there is no one cause for this crisis of representation, Carnes shows that the problem does not stem from a lack of qualified candidates from the working class. The solution, he argues, must involve a variety of changes, from the equalization of campaign funding to a shift in the types of candidates the parties support. Book jacket White-collar government -- What is class? -- The unequal social class makeup of American political institutions -- The elephant in the room -- Why does class matter? -- The evidence -- Voting with class -- Legislative voting as a window into the importance of class -- Measuring the divisions -- Class and legislative voting today -- Class and legislative voting during the postwar period -- The enduring imprint of class -- Representational inequality in "ayes" and "nays"--Before the votes are cast -- Legislative entrepreneurs -- The role of class -- Measuring legislative entrepreneurship -- The policies legislators propose -- The policies legislators pass -- Leaving the working class off the agenda -- Class, opinions, and choices -- Out of touch, or out of step? -- Inside the mind of a member of Congress -- The importance of opinions -- Who's out of touch now? -- Out-of-step government -- Economic policy making in class-imbalanced legislatures -- Representation and policy making -- What would a class-balanced Congress have done? -- When the working class holds office -- Blue-collar government -- The economic consequences of white-collar government -- Fixing the broken mirror -- What's keeping the working class out of office? -- Thinking bigger about inequality -- Up front there oughta be a man in black White-collar government What is class? The unequal social class makeup of American political institutions The elephant in the room Why does class matter? The evidence Voting with class Legislative voting as a window into the importance of class Measuring the divisions Class and legislative voting today Class and legislative voting during the postwar period The enduring imprint of class Representational inequality in "ayes" and "nays" Before the votes are cast Legislative entrepreneurs The role of class Measuring legislative entrepreneurship The policies legislators propose The policies legislators pass Leaving the working class off the agenda Class, opinions, and choices Out of touch, or out of step? Inside the mind of a member of Congress The importance of opinions Who's out of touch now? Out-of-step government Economic policy making in class-imbalanced legislatures Representation and policy making What would a class-balanced Congress have done? When the working class holds office Blue-collar government The economic consequences of white-collar government Fixing the broken mirror What's keeping the working class out of office? Thinking bigger about inequality Up front there oughta be a man in black. "Eight of the last twelve presidents were millionaires when they took office. Millionaires also make up majorities on the Supreme Court and in Congress, where the average member has spent less than two percent of his or her adult life in a working-class job. Why is it that most politicians in America are so much better off than the people who elect them--and does the social class divide between citizens and their representatives matter? With White-Collar Government, Nicholas Carnes answers this question with a resounding--and disturbing--yes"--Page 4 of cover Eight of the last twelve presidents were millionaires when they took office. Why is it that most politicians in America are so much better off than the people who elect them - and does the social class divide between citizens and their representatives matter? The author answers this question with a resounding - and disturbing - yes.