Kludgeocracy: The American Way of Policy

NEXT SOCIAL CONTRACT INITIATIVE

Kludgeocracy: The American Way of Policy

by Steven Teles, Associate Professor, Political Science, Johns Hopkins University

American government, especially as it relates to social policy, has become so complex and convoluted that it is best described by an entirely new word: kludgeocracy.

In a provocative new paper for the Next Social Contract Initiative, professor Steven Teles explains how American policymaking became a kludgeocracy, the huge (and often hidden) costs of this complexity, and how we can make the system more simple and effective. From healthcare to higher education to regulation, he argues, "America has chosen more indirect and incoherent policy mechanisms than any comparable country."

The kludgeocracy has taken a huge toll on the effectiveness of American social policy, not to mention the budget. Additional complexity has created a social contract that is less democratic, less efficient, and less effective than a set of large, simple programs would be. Fortunately, even small political reforms will go a long way to fixing the problems.

As Teles argues, "Only when Americans give a name to their pain - kludgeocracy - are we likely to get a government that is simpler, more effective, and better for democracy."   

Read Kludgeocracy: The American Way of Policy by Steven Teles.

Download the PDF of the paper directly here.