The Fractured Republic by {author}: summary and why it matters

What it argues

Levin argues that both parties are nostalgic. The left looks back to the consolidated, centralized America of the postwar decades, with its big institutions and common culture, while the right looks to the individualist and market-driven America of the 1980s. Each sees the other era's problems as the cause of the country's troubles and wants to return to its own.

In fact, he claims, the postwar consolidation gave way to a long period of fracturing in economy, culture and politics, and the two eras are linked. The task now is not to go back but to build on the present, which is more diverse and decentralized, by revitalizing the associations between the individual and the state.

His program, which he calls subsidiarity, emphasizes localism, federalism, civil society and reform of institutions from the bottom up.

Why it matters

The book gives a nonpartisan lens on the country's disputes, and its emphasis on mediating institutions links Burke and Tocqueville to the present. It is a good test of whether conservatism can be constructive rather than only nostalgic.

About the author

Levin wrote the book after working in the Bush White House and as an editor, and it extends the argument of the earlier The Great Debate. The Fractured Republic was published in 2016, a year of unusual public frustration with both parties, and it led to a series of talks and articles about renewing civic and local institutions.

Who should read it

Readers of politics who like a balanced and thoughtful argument.