Why Cities Lose

The Deep Roots of the Urban-Rural Political Divide

By: Jonathan A. Rodden

Narrated by: Mike Lenz

A prizewinning political scientist traces the origins of urban-rural political conflict and shows how geography shapes elections in America and beyond.

Why is it so much easier for the Democratic Party to win the national popular vote than to build and maintain a majority in Congress? Why can Democrats sweep statewide offices in places like Pennsylvania and Michigan yet fail to take control of the same states' legislatures? Many place exclusive blame on partisan gerrymandering and voter suppression. But as political scientist Jonathan A. Rodden demonstrates in Why Cities Lose, the left's electoral challenges have deeper roots in economic and political geography.

In the late 19th century, support for the left began to cluster in cities among the industrial working class. Today, left-wing parties have become coalitions of diverse urban interest groups, from racial minorities to the creative class. These parties win big in urban districts but struggle to capture the suburban and rural seats necessary for legislative majorities. A bold new interpretation of today's urban-rural political conflict, Why Cities Lose also points to electoral reforms that could address the left's under-representation while reducing urban-rural polarization.

©2019 Jonathan Rodden (P)2020 Tantor

great book

A comprehensive historical explanation and analysis of Americans current political geography. A worthy read, indeed!

Interesting, but unsatisfying

This book does a great job of pointing out the geographic dividing lines between where Democrats and Republicans hold majorities. The author makes great observations that the Democrats struggle not solely because of gerrymandering but geography. The author notes that the Democratic message doesn’t appeal to rural Conservatives - but then goes on to propose changes to the US Constitution that reflect European Parliamentary Democracies. This is a more illogical direction for Democrats than just having a message that is attractive in rural communities. I kept waiting, wanting to hear that solution but it never came. Disappointing.

An Important Book for Democracy

Every citizen who care about the future viability of democracy should read or listen to “Why Cities Lose.” Author Jonathan A.
Rodden breaks down in detail why Democrats tend to run up large vote counts that don’t reflect their representation in Congress or state legislatures. A must read for understanding the political climate not only of the United States but democracies around the world.

WTF!? Where are the charts!?

This book is packed with descriptions of charts that are not included with the audio. If do not you have the charts already, beware.