Review: A More Resilient Union
Danielle Allen's recent article in Foreign Affairs makes a case for the merits of American federalism, even in the context of the system's gross failures in the face of the coronavirus pandemic. She believes that decentralised governance might have been an asset to the United States in the pandemic — especially given the size and variation of constituents in the country — and that those who find reasons to blame the federal system for difficulties should instead blame failures of governance on the national level. Allen focuses primarily on education — Donald Trump and his inability to unite the economic and public health concerns of experts in order to properly educate the country on coronavirus response, and the long-term failure of the country to educate its citizens on the subject of civics, with which they could try to overcome this failure of governance. Americans are able to be divided into camps, those who emphasise public health over economics as well as the opposite, because they are ignorant of the possibilities and purposes of American democracy and are unable to foster conversation to advance a combined approach. If they are, they are unheard by their elected officials who instead continue to politicise solutions to the pandemic.
Could better civics education really fix Americans' "obeisance to technocrats," as Allen argues? In a way, the very federalism that Allen lauds has created fundamental disagreement over the very purpose of government — should it be hands-on in ensuring the welfare of its citizens, or a mere night-watchman? Opinions are not consistent, and they exist along a spectrum from socialism to libertarianism throughout the country. More widespread education in civics might be able to make the arguments for various positions more coherent and according to Allen could even aid the country to reunite the country against threats, as it was during World War II. However, what can be done in the future in the face of an invisible threat, such as another pandemic? The war against a pandemic is not the same as a war against a tangible enemy because individuals are impacted differently by a virus — just look at the varying rates of disease and death among low-income individuals, racial and ethnic minorities and the elderly. Unless the country can be united for the common good, rather than perceiving the state of nature as self-helping and Darwinian in the neoliberal sense, the federal system will continue to be undermined by splintered opinions and policies which impact certain groups disproportionately.
I believe that Allen's argument does hold some weight — that Americans need to be more civic-minded and educated in processes of governance rather than resorting to radical, unrealistic solutions — but that the crux of the current issue is a much broader geopolitical matter and should be treated as such. The Trump administration's handling of the coronavirus pandemic is, in my opinion, just another saga in the country's retreat from unilateral power on the world stage. What Trump is moving towards is a purer version of neoliberal governance with all of the laissez-faire values of the Reagan administration, but without the Cold War imperative of global intervention which required Reagan to continue embroiling the country in international missions and cooperation (for more on this, check out Neoliberalism: A Very Short Introduction, Chapter 2). If we can see Trump as retreating to the neoliberal ideal, there remains the question of whether or not such deregulation has a place in a world wrought with crises which have necessitated multilateral intervention, including terrorist attacks, financial crises and pandemics. Even if the public is educated on the merits of government intervention, will they believe what they hear? Or will the variety allowed for under federalism prevent the public from realising the benefits of government, especially in areas traditionally opposed to interference? This author is not sure that the pandemic has been enough to give the public faith in the government as worthwhile, and with good reason.
Sources:
https://www.amazon.com/Neoliberalism-Introduction-Manfred-B-Steger/dp/019956051X
https://www.foreignaffairs.com/articles/united-states/2020-06-01/more-resilient-union
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/racial-ethnic-minorities.html
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/need-extra-precautions/older-adults.html