Democracy in America

A hand holds a poster with the words "Protect My Vote" in front of the U.S. Supreme Court building.

A 2013 rally in front of the Supreme Court as justices were hearing cases on the Voting Rights Act. ("Protect the Voting Rights Rally at the SCOTUS." Photo by David Sachs / SEIU on flickr. CC BY-NC-SA.)

Instructor(s)

MIT Course Number

17.267

As Taught In

Fall 2013

Level

Undergraduate

Cite This Course

Course Description

Course Features

Course Description

This course examines the functioning of democracy in the U.S. beginning with the theoretical foundations of democratic representation. It explores how the views of the public influence policy making. It also examines factors, such as malapportionment, that lead to non-majoritarian outcomes. Evidence on how well policy outcomes reflect public opinion is reviewed, and whether certain groups are over or under-represented in the policy process. Also discussed are reforms that might make our democracy more responsive to the American public.

Related Content

Christopher Warshaw. 17.267 Democracy in America. Fall 2013. Massachusetts Institute of Technology: MIT OpenCourseWare, https://ocw.mit.edu. License: Creative Commons BY-NC-SA.


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