How to Be a Policy Entrepreneur in the American Vetocracy

https://americanaffairsjournal.org/2023/11/how-to-be-a-policy-entrepreneur-in-the-american-vetocracy/

In our highly polarized political environment, five structural factors originally intended as checks and balances have metastasized into what Francis Fukuyama calls a “vetocracy”: bicameralism, the Senate fili­buster, presidentialism, adversarial legalism, and federalism. To be sure, these institutions also have benefits, such as guarding against the tyranny of the majority. But to actually change laws, policy entrepreneurs must design their solutions to run this gauntlet of veto points. It may be difficult, but it is possible to build state capacity while operating within the constraints of U.S. institutions: the federal government can use carrots and sticks to align state and local policy with its goals; Congress can use its authority to limit judicial review; and legislators can add riders to must-pass legislation.