“Why Washington Won’t Work is a marvelous book. Hetherington and Rudolph have written a compelling and smoothly accessible work that reveals more about the troubled condition of American politics than any presidential campaign tome—and they have accomplished this while maintaining the most rigorous methodological standards of political science.”

David Maraniss, author of First in His Class: A Biography of Bill Clinton and Barack Obama: The Story

“Hetherington and Rudolph marshal a massive array of evidence to show that political trust guides American political life, particularly when the public is focused on international affairs. The book is a mammoth contribution, and it is likely to be influential for decades.”

Jason Barabas, Stony Brook University

“Hetherington and Rudolph’s Why Washington Won’t Work zeroes in on the affective component of polarized politics: Republicans and Democrats not only disagree on issues, they also just don’t like one another. Mutual antipathy undermines trust, which inhibits the deal-making essential to governing under our Madisonian system. This cogent and well-supported argument helps to explain why gridlock and stalemate have become the new normal.”

Gary Jacobson, University of California, San Diego

“Why Washington Won’t Work makes a substantial contribution to our understanding of the roots of dysfunction in American government. Hetherington and Rudolph present a highly convincing case that the partisan polarization of the mass public has contributed to the problem by polarizing trust in government. Their creative and persuasive analysis reveals many new insights into the vital role of trust in government for explaining why the public supports or opposes government action and how we might seek solutions.”

Stephen Nicholson, University of California, Merced

"Hetherington and Rudolph argue that a profound, and historically high, lack of trust among the public reduces the likelihood of compromise in Congress. In an increasingly polarized political environment that is already predisposed to gridlock, this finding on public trust helps to further explain the inability of Washington to govern, effectively legislate, and work."

New Books in Political Science

“Hetherington and Rudolph’s careful statistical analysis of public opinion expands the understanding of the role of political trust in the governing process by treating it as a cause rather than a consequence of public policy. . . . Highly recommended.”

Choice