Democracy depends on government that works for everyone

The popular view of what’s ailing our democracy goes something like this: Americans are more polarized than ever. Misinformation is rampant. In red and blue states, most Americans are civically MIA.

All true enough, but what if divisive politics and disengaged citizens are only symptoms of a deeper vulnerability that undermines our democracy?

For those of us on the front lines of making government work better, the root cause of the problem is clear: Most Americans don’t trust government. When government does not foresee or fix the fundamental flaws in our economy and society that drive nationwide anxiety — like the fading American dream or wrenching changes in a community after a factory closes — people lose faith in public institutions. In turn, government can achieve even less and what’s worse, this vicious cycle opens the door for extremists to use Washington’s dysfunction as a rallying cry.

To break the cycle and save our democracy, government must prove that it can solve problems and deliver results for all Americans nimbly, repeatedly, and without drama. It certainly has before, from eliminating polio, to building an interstate highway system, to helping generations of Americans retire with Social Security.

Even now, policymakers on both sides of the aisle are making progress. Houston is taking giant strides to end chronic homelessness in our lifetime, more than doubling the success rate of rehousing efforts nationwide. In Mississippi, pathbreaking reforms have launched children living in poverty to near the top of national test scores for reading and math. Congress’s pandemic-era expansion of the Child Tax Credit slashed child poverty to a record low, and when it ended, lawmakers in more than 10 states stepped up to create or expand similar public investments in children.

But pockets of success are not enough. Far more is needed to restore public faith in government. Three things will help modernize government’s approach to solving problems and earning trust:

Copy success stories, offer incentives, use data

First, instead of reinventing the wheel, decision-makers need to get better at starting with what works. That means finding and adapting other governments’ proven successes—whether it’s reducing evictions or training workers for jobs that pay higher wages. Proactively, governments should rely on the growing number of tools and platforms to help them identify the most effective public programs nationwide. At a minimum, they must dedicate time to reaching out to their colleagues nationwide. Birmingham, Alabama Mayor Randall Woodfin knew that many of the solutions his residents needed already existed in other cities, so he went on tour to find the best ideas. That’s how a successful program for nurturing early language development in Providence, Rhode Island became the model for a similar program in Birmingham. When it showed strong early results, Woodfin expanded it with city funding.

Similarly, after the Key Bridge collapsed in Maryland, Gov. Wes Moore called Pennsylvania Gov. Josh Shapiro and other leaders who had governed through disasters for ideas. In his words, he cared about “what solves the problem” more than where the solution came from. This approach should be standard operating procedure for every level of government.

Second, state and local governments need federal incentives to fund their best ideas. Although you won’t see it on any bumper stickers this election season, the federal government recently took a major step to do just that. In April, the White House Office of Management and Budget announced new guidance on grantmaking for federal agencies that could help unlock up to $1 trillion to accelerate state and local governments to drive life-changing progress in communities nationwide. Importantly, the guidance makes it clear that state and local governments can and should invest federal dollars in data infrastructure and evidence-building, and it encourages governments to gather input from the people they serve.

Finally, every level of government must harness the power of data to measure progress and zero in on necessary course corrections. By comparison with the private sector, state and local governments are just starting to build their data capacity to improve services, evaluate programs and make more informed decisions that improve lives. Government should accelerate these efforts, prioritize the kinds of data tools that make companies smarter and more effective.

Democracies are strongest when people know they can count on leaders to solve society’s biggest problems quickly and effectively. Such is the case in nearly every stable, high-functioning democracy worldwide. And, closer to home in our own communities, wherever snow is plowed and potholes are filled, we can see and feel government working to improve our lives.

Making government work smarter and faster may not be a top priority in this year’s presidential contest, but our country urgently needs a government that can solve big problems on an unprecedented scale. Americans — and our democracy — are depending on it.

Michele Jolin is the CEO and co-founder of Results for America, a national nonprofit organization that helps policymakers use evidence and data to improve outcomes for children, families and communities. She previously served as senior adviser for social innovation at the White House under President Barack Obama.

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The Democracy Solutions Project is a collaboration among the Chicago Sun-Times, WBEZ and the University of Chicago’s Center for Effective Government, with funding support from the Pulitzer Center. Our goal is to help listeners and readers engage with the democratic functions in their lives and cast an informed ballot in the November 2024 election.