The Submerged State
How Invisible Government Policies Undermine American Democracy
- Contents
- Review Quotes

Introduction: Confronting the Submerged State
1 Governance Unseen
2 The Politics of the Submerged State
3 From Nudge to Reveal
With Matt Guardino
4 Scaling Back the Submerged State: The Victory of Student Aid
5 Sustaining and Expanding the Submerged State: Tax Policy and Health Care Reform
6 Toward Visible and Vibrant Democracy
Appendix
Text and Graphics for Additional Experimental Questions and Treatments
“[I]nformative [and] engaging. . . . This is an important, well-reasoned, welcome volume. Highly recommended.”
“Americans want government policies to be transparent, straightforward, and fair, but many social programs are confusing and opaque and shower benefits disproportionately on the well-to-do. In this timely, penetrating, and highly readable book, Suzanne Mettler illuminates the hidden government benefits and subsidies that comprise our ‘submerged state’ and demonstrates how its murky operation impairs democratic practice and weakens civic engagement.”
Political Science: American Government and Politics | Political Behavior and Public Opinion | Public Policy
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