“In short, the narrative that attributes Trump’s victory to a ‘coalition of mostly blue-collar white and working-class voters’ just doesn’t square with the 2016 election data,” writes public policy professor Nicholas Carnes and a colleague. “According to the election study, white non-Hispanic voters without college degrees making below the median household income made up only 25 percent of Trump voters. That’s a far cry from the working-class-fueled victory many journalists have imagined.”
Read More in The Washington PostTag: Nicholas Carnes
In Congress, Even Lawmakers’ Degrees are a Partisan Issue
Does going to an elite college make for a more effective legislator? That’s what research scientist Jonathan Wai and co-authors argue in a forthcoming paper. However, political scientist Nicholas Carnes (not one of the co-authors) notes that we shouldn’t overstate the extent to which education alone affects policy makers’ decisions. It’s important to also consider factors, he says, like the regions of the country elite-educated members represent and the ideologies of their constituents, Carnes says.
Read More in The Chronicle of Higher Education
White-Collar Government
Trump’s cabinet is the wealthiest in U.S. history. In light of this news, this podcast revisits Sanford School of Public Policy professor Nicholas Carnes‘ interview on the effects of a government run by the rich, for the rich, and ways to get working class Americans a seat at the table.
Listen on Scholars Strategy Network
Big-Money Race Foreseen as a Pritzker Eyes a Kennedy in Illinois
Sanford School professor Nicholas Carnes called the brewing Illinois governor’s race an “extreme example” in a trend toward wealthier candidates. “You almost never see middle- or working-class people running,” he says. “It’s often the case that, in a primary election for a state or federal office, you won’t see anyone run without significant personal wealth.”
Read More in Bloomberg
Senate Confirms Former Goldman Sachs Banker as Treasury Secretary
In the Trump administration, “there aren’t many people who have experience doing the kinds of jobs that most Americans go to every day,” says Sanford School professor Nicholas Carnes. “The advice that he’s going to be getting – policies are probably going to be heavily slanted in the interests of more wealthy groups.”
Read More in The Christian Science Monitor
Higher Legislative Pay Just Gets You Richer Lawmakers
The Duke study found states that pay lawmakers more still have legislatures dominated by white-collar professionals. “Reformers argue higher pay … would have the benefit of increasing economic diversity in our political institutions,” said Nicholas Carnes, lead author and assistant professor at the Sanford School of Public Policy. “Our research shows this isn’t true.”
