Why Nothing Works Who Killed Progress—and How to Bring It Back

A provocative exploration of the forces that keep us from getting things done, and how we can restore confidence in government

“Dunkelman summarizes the history perfectly.” —David Brooks, The New York Times

Named a Best Book of the Year by Financial Times • The Economist

America was once a country that did big things. But today, even while facing a host of pressing challenges—a housing shortage, a climate crisis, dilapidated infrastructure—we feel stuck. As Marc J. Dunkelman reveals, America is the victim of a vetocracy that allows nearly anyone to stifle progress. While conservatives deserve some blame, progressives have overlooked an unlikely culprit: their own fears of “The Establishment.” A half century ago, reformers began to put speaking truth to power ahead of exercising that power for good. Now, the ensuing gridlock has pummeled faith in public institutions of all sorts and opened the door for MAGA-style populism. Why Nothing Works uncovers the roots of this predicament, and boldly shows how progressives can once again build a better future for all.

Marc J. Dunkelman is a fellow at Brown University’s Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs. His work at Brown focuses on the architecture of American community and the progressive movement's evolving view of power. He is the author of The Vanishing Neighbor: The Transformation of American Community, of which former President Bill Clinton said, “Marc Dunkelman gets it. In The Vanishing Neighbor, he shows how the traditional web of relationships that makes up American life is undergoing fundamental change, why it matters, and what we need to do about it”.

During more than a dozen years working in Washington, Dunkelman served as a senior fellow at the Clinton Foundation, on the staff of the Senate Judiciary Committee, as legislative director and chief of staff to a member of the House of Representatives, and as the vice president for strategy and communications at the Democratic Leadership Council. His work has appeared in the New York Times, Atlantic, Wall Street Journal, Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Harvard Business Review, Chronicle of Higher Education, Daily Beast, and National Affairs, among other publications.