TY - BOOK AU - Carnes,Nicholas TI - The Cash Ceiling: Why Only the Rich Run for Office--and What We Can Do about It T2 - Princeton Studies in Political Behavior SN - 9780691184203 AV - HD8076 U1 - 323.042086230973 23 PY - 2018///] CY - Princeton, NJ : PB - Princeton University Press, KW - Campaign funds KW - United States KW - Elections KW - Working class KW - Political activity KW - POLITICAL SCIENCE / Political Process / Campaigns & Elections KW - bisacsh KW - American politics KW - American workers KW - Americans KW - U.S. elections KW - U.S. politics KW - US elections KW - candidate recruitment KW - cash ceiling KW - economic diversity KW - elections KW - governing institutions KW - lower-income Americans KW - political campaigns KW - political candidate KW - political equality reform KW - political influence KW - political office KW - political representation KW - politicians KW - politics KW - public office KW - underrepresentation KW - upper class KW - working-class Americans KW - working-class candidates N1 - Frontmatter --; Contents --; Figures and Tables --; Acknowledgments --; 1. GOVERNMENT BY THE PRIVILEGED --; 2. THE CONVENTIONAL WISDOM (IS WRONG) --; 3. WHY DON'T WORKERS RUN? --; 4. WHAT'S STOPPING THEM? --; 5. WHAT CAN WE DO ABOUT IT? --; 6. MOVING THE NEEDLE --; Appendix --; Notes --; References --; Index; restricted access N2 - Why working-class Americans almost never become politicians, what that means for democracy, and what reformers can do about itWhy are Americans governed by the rich? Millionaires make up only three percent of the public but control all three branches of the federal government. How did this happen? What stops lower-income and working-class Americans from becoming politicians? The first book to answer these urgent questions, The Cash Ceiling provides a compelling and comprehensive account of why so few working-class people hold office-and what reformers can do about it.Using extensive data on candidates, politicians, party leaders, and voters, Nicholas Carnes debunks popular misconceptions (like the idea that workers are unelectable or unqualified to govern), identifies the factors that keep lower-class Americans off the ballot and out of political institutions, and evaluates a variety of reform proposals.In the United States, Carnes shows, elections have a built-in "cash ceiling," a series of structural barriers that make it almost impossible for the working-class to run for public office. Elections take a serious toll on candidates, many working-class Americans simply can't shoulder the practical burdens, and civic and political leaders often pass them over in favor of white-collar candidates. But these obstacles aren't inevitable. Pilot programs to recruit, train, and support working-class candidates have the potential to increase the economic diversity of our governing institutions and ultimately amplify the voices of ordinary citizens.Who runs for office goes to the heart of whether we will have a democracy that is representative or not. The Cash Ceiling shows that the best hope for combating the oversized political influence of the rich might simply be to help more working-class Americans become politicians UR - https://doi.org/10.1515/9780691184203?locatt=mode:legacy UR - https://www.degruyter.com/isbn/9780691184203 UR - https://www.degruyter.com/document/cover/isbn/9780691184203/original ER -