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American Politics

Selected Works

Political theory

Articles 1 - 5 of 5

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

The Road To Mass Democracy: Original Intent And The Seventeenth Amendment, Christopher Hoebeke Dec 2013

The Road To Mass Democracy: Original Intent And The Seventeenth Amendment, Christopher Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

Until 1913 and passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, US senators were elected by state legislatures, not directly by the people. Progressive Era reformers urged this revision in answer to the corruption of state "machines" under the dominance of party bosses. They also believed that direct elections would make the Senate more responsive to popular concerns regarding the concentrations of business, capital, and labor that in the industrial era gave rise to a growing sense of individual voicelessness. Popular control over the higher affairs of government was thought to be possible, since the spread of information …

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The Paradox Of Popular Sovereignty: An Introductory Essay, Christopher Hoebeke Dec 2013

The Paradox Of Popular Sovereignty: An Introductory Essay, Christopher Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

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The Opacity Of Transparency, Mark Fenster Dec 2004

The Opacity Of Transparency, Mark Fenster

Mark Fenster

The normative concept of transparency, along with the open government laws that purport to create a transparent public system of governance promise the world—a democratic and accountable state above all, and a peaceful, prosperous, and efficient one as well. But transparency, in its role as the theoretical justification for a set of legal commands, frustrates all parties affected by its ambiguities and abstractions. The public’s engagement with transparency in practice yields denials of reasonable requests for essential government information, as well as government meetings that occur behind closed doors. Meanwhile, state officials bemoan the significantly impaired decision-making processes that result …

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Democratizing The Constitution: The Failure Of The Seventeenth Amendment, Christopher H. Hoebeke Dec 1995

Democratizing The Constitution: The Failure Of The Seventeenth Amendment, Christopher H. Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

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The Road To Mass Democracy: Original Intent And The Seventeenth Amendment, Christopher Hoebeke Dec 1994

The Road To Mass Democracy: Original Intent And The Seventeenth Amendment, Christopher Hoebeke

Christopher H Hoebeke

No abstract provided.

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