The American political system presents challenges to governing in the best of circumstances. Separation of powers and federalism create a system of multiple veto points making it difficult to build support for policies. At some points in American political history, the two-party system helped overcome these inherent obstacles to governing, but now, they make the task far more difficult. Is it possible to govern effectively in the current era of divisive partisanship?

Phil Mundo has been a professor in the Drew University Department of Political Science since 1986. His teaching and research interests include American political institutions, political participation, public policy, environmental policy, and the relationship between business and government in the U.S. Prior to joining the faculty at Drew, Mundo earned a Ph.D. in Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley, and worked at the Brookings Institution and the Congressional Office of Technology Assessment in Washington, DC.

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