{"id":1673,"date":"2020-05-13T12:00:03","date_gmt":"2020-05-13T16:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/raisethevote\/?p=1673"},"modified":"2020-05-13T15:16:16","modified_gmt":"2020-05-13T19:16:16","slug":"will-the-pandemic-weaken-the-union-to-the-point-of-collapse","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/connect.apsanet.org\/raisethevote\/2020\/05\/13\/will-the-pandemic-weaken-the-union-to-the-point-of-collapse\/","title":{"rendered":"Will the Pandemic Weaken the Union to the Point of Collapse?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"Over the past 20 years, I\u2019ve taught thousands of students a particular narrative about how\u00a0<\/span>the\u00a0<\/span>US government formed<\/span>\u2014American colonists established\u00a0<\/span>mechanisms in\u00a0<\/span>the Constitution\u00a0<\/span>to help them<\/span>\u00a0solve significant collective action problems<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>t\u2019s worth remembering that American government under the Constitution represents the founders\u2019 second attempt at forming a union. The first attempt<\/span>\u2014the Articles of Confederation–<\/span>failed because\u00a0<\/span>its institutions did not sufficiently solve the states\u2019 collective action problems. As the coronavirus pandemic wreaks havoc on our lives,\u00a0<\/span>and the federal government struggles to respond,\u00a0<\/span>I\u2019m reminded of\u00a0<\/span>how difficult it can be for governments to overcome\u00a0<\/span>collective action dilemmas<\/span><\/a>, and\u00a0<\/span>the fragility of our federal union<\/span>\u00a0under the Constitution<\/span>.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

U<\/span>nder the Articles of Confederation,\u00a0<\/span>America<\/span>\u00a0only lasted from 1781 to 1788. One might say that America\u2019s first attempt at being a nation<\/span>\u00a0resulted in a failed state.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h4>\n

Under the Articles of Confederation, the central government had very little authority. There was no common currency that all the states shared, there were no common taxes, there was no common military. It was difficult for the national government to pass laws.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Basically, the original framework of the US was built to avoid the tyrannical monarchy that revolutionaries had just fought against. The desire for independence and localized government authority was strong. The suspicion against any sort of strong centralized government was quite real. So<\/span>,<\/span>\u00a0they built a government that gave states all the power, but quickly found they could not govern as a country that way. It all fell apart when the state of Massachusetts couldn\u2019t put down a rebellion of farmers and wound up relying on private militias for support. The state was weak, and it failed.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So from the very beginning, the struggle to govern America has been a struggle to create government institutions that help us coordinate, compromise, and take collective actions. In the face of a pandemic, this basic narrative is again salient.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

When the Constitution was ratified in 1788 the federal government had much greater authority. Some horrific compromises were made in order to get all the states to ratify the new government structure\u2014specifically, they accepted the practice of slavery\u2014but the government was formed and persevered because the federal government had enough authority to help solve the collective action dilemmas that states could not solve on their own.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So from the very beginning, the struggle to govern America has been a struggle to create government institutions that help us coordinate, compromise, and take collective actions.\u00a0<\/span>I<\/span>n the face of a pandemic, this basic narrative is again salient. The federal government has made a series of\u00a0<\/span>missteps<\/span><\/a>\u00a0in its efforts to address the pandemic.\u00a0<\/span>As the federal government squandered precious time and\u00a0<\/span>lacked a coordinated response, g<\/span>overnors began to organize responses for their states.\u00a0<\/span>States have been competing with one another<\/span><\/a>\u00a0to acquire personal protective equi<\/span>pment for medical personnel, and the materials needed to perform tests for the presence of the virus.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The lack of coordination from the federal government and the scramble that states and localities have<\/span>\u00a0been engaged in is reminiscent of life under the Articles of Confederation. While we often think of governments expanding their control and power during times of crisis, in the US, so far, we have seen the opposite\u2014the federal government has abdicated its control to states, which have been taking steps to institute social distancing rules, and closing economic and educational activities of all sorts. Government powers have expanded and civil liberties have been restricted,\u00a0<\/span>as one would expect during such a crisis<\/span><\/a>, but those actions have been taken by states and localities, not the federal government.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

But the federal government is not failing, like it did during the Articles of Confederation\u2014at least not yet. The federal government still has a considerable amount of power and control that it could exert, should leaders opt to go that route.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

While the general US response to this pandemic has been far from ideal, and\u00a0<\/span>far less effective at curtailing the spread of the virus than many other countries\u2019 efforts<\/span><\/a>, it is not yet another failed state.\u00a0<\/span>But modern scholars have been ringing alarm bells about a variety of conditions now present in America that signal a turn toward democratic demise. For example, in\u00a0<\/span>How Democracies Die<\/span><\/i><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/i>Levitsky<\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>Zigblatt<\/span>\u00a0demonstrate a noticeable decline in American political leaders\u2019 adherence to democratic norms, weakening interbranch checks and balances, and heightened polarization. Scholars at\u00a0<\/span>Brightline<\/span>\u00a0Watch<\/span><\/a>, who have been using an expert panel to measure the health of U.S. democracy, have also measured a decline in American democracy in the recent period.\u00a0<\/span>We\u2019re not approaching America 3.0 yet, but the<\/span>\u00a0US is on weaker democratic footing now than it was a year ago, and its likely that an uncoordinated federal government response to coronavirus will hasten that trend.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>Moreover,<\/span>\u00a0<\/span>i<\/span>f states continue to battle one another and the federal government in response to the virus, the union of American states will become weaker.\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Government is one of the key institutions\u00a0<\/span>that\u00a0<\/span>humans use to enforce collective action. Responding to a pandemic requires significant coordinated collective action, and in the US federal government response reveals its weaknesses.<\/span>\u00a0We are still at the early stages of this crisis and governments at all levels continue to respond dynamically to the significant challenges Americans face in the pandemic and its side effects.<\/span><\/p>\n

\n

Jennifer Nicoll Victor<\/span><\/span> is a guest contributor for the RAISE the Vote Campaign<\/a>. The views expressed in the posts and articles featured in the RAISE the Vote campaign are those of the authors and contributors alone and do not represent the views of APSA.<\/em><\/p>\n

Jennifer Nicoll Victor<\/span><\/span><\/strong>\u00a0is\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Associate<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Professor of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Political Science<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>at George Mason University\u2019s Sc<\/span><\/span>har School\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Policy<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Government<\/span><\/span>. She studies the U.S. Congress, legislative organization and behavior, social network methods,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0political parties, campaign finance,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and interest groups and lobbying.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Her current book project explores the conditions for bipartisan cooperation among members of Congress. <\/span><\/span>She is the co-editor of the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Oxford<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Handbook of Political Networks<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0(2017).\u00a0<\/span><\/span>She is the co-author<\/span><\/span>\u00a0(with Nils\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Ringe<\/span><\/span>)<\/span><\/span>\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Bridging the Information Gap: Legislative Member Organizations in the United States and the European Union<\/span><\/span>\u00a0(U. Michigan Press 2013<\/span><\/span>)<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Professor<\/span><\/span>\u00a0Victor has\u00a0<\/span><\/span>published research<\/span><\/span>\u00a0in the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>American Journal of Political Science<\/span><\/span>, the<\/span><\/span>\u00a0British Journal of Political Science<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>American Politics Research<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Party Politics, Interest Groups & Advocacy,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>P.S.: Political Science and Politics<\/span><\/span>, and elsewhere<\/span><\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>She was awarded the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>George Mason University Teaching Excellence Award in 2019<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>She is a co-founding contributor to the political science blog\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u201c<\/span><\/span>Mischiefs of Faction<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u201d<\/span><\/span>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0and has\u00a0<\/span><\/span>written<\/span><\/span>\u00a0for<\/span><\/span>\u00a0the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>New York Times<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Time Magazine<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Politico<\/span><\/span>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Gen by Medium<\/span><\/span><\/a>,<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>The Conversation<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>OUP Blog<\/span><\/span><\/a>,\u00a0<\/span><\/span>LSE US Politics<\/span><\/span><\/a>\u00a0blog<\/span><\/span>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/span>She serves on the Board of Directors of the non-partisan, non-profit\u00a0<\/span><\/span>Center for Responsive Politics<\/span><\/span><\/a>, and is a past president of the\u00a0<\/span><\/span>National Capital Area Political Science Association<\/span><\/span><\/a>.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>More<\/span><\/span>\u00a0information can be found\u00a0<\/span><\/span>here<\/span><\/span><\/a>.<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

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