UConn Prof: Government Criticized But Not Necessarily Understood

STORRS, CT — Government is criticized from both sides of the political aisle — fueled by ideological sound bites — even as most Americans do not fully understand what government is supposed do, let alone what it actually does, a University of Connecticut professor and author says.

Brian Waddell, UConn professor of political science and co-author of “What American Government Does” (Johns Hopkins Press), says if Americans better understood the function of their government the nation would benefit.

“I think this blunt fear of government doesn’t serve our nation well,” Waddell says. “Making Americans feel that their government is this enemy entity in their midst turns people away from politics, from wanting to engage in a progressive way with their government and to get the government focused on things they want the government to do. We need to understand the positive and the negative parts of what government does so we can act intelligently vis-a-vie the government.

“We have a much weaker, less substantial welfare state than we would find in other countries. I argue that what we have in the United States is a warfare-welfare state; a strong warfare, weak welfare state,” Waddell says. “In commitment of society’s resources the national security state is one of the single largest manifestations of government power the world has ever seen. When it comes to national security, very few questions are asked and there is very little debate or dissent. If you do dissent in debate, as I’m doing, your loyalty gets called into question.”

Waddell says understanding the complex relationship between government and business also is essential to knowing how government functions.

Government and business are interdependent and develop in tandem with each other, he says, with developments in the one sphere continually affecting developments in the other, making it difficult to point to a “free market” independent of government, he adds.

An example he notes is the 2008 economic crisis that resulted from the change in regulating financial institutions that were in place since the Great Depression, which led to the Federal government stepping in to bail out Wall Street companies.

Waddell says that while public opinion polls often show a mistrust in government, a 2015 survey by Pew Research Center found Americans think the government is doing a good job in several key areas of activity such as responding to natural disasters, keeping the nation safe from terror and ensuring safe food and medicine.

For more information on his findings, go to a link for a story at UConn Today.

Photo Credit: Chris Dehnel