The Fog of Accountability

My book, The Fog of Accountability: How Institutions Keep Voters from Holding Their Local Governments Accountable, is forthcoming in Summer 2026 with the University of Chicago Press. The book investigates accountability in local governments. A short description is below.

The quality of democracy depends, at least partially, on whether voters hold their elected officials accountable, removing badly performing politicians from office and re-electing politicians who perform well. In The Fog of Accountability, I draw on wide-ranging evidence to provide a broad and sobering examination of where accountability succeeds and fails in city politics.

In theory, city governments are supposed to be the governments closest to the people they serve: hundreds of thousands of elected and appointed officials across the United States serve more than 50,000 subnational governments, making influential decisions about services ranging from health care to infrastructure to policing. The provision of critical city services shapes the everyday lives of citizens and their views of government in good times and in bad—when such services are well-functioning, but especially when they fail spectacularly.

Yet, this does not make city office holders more accountable. It is not that voters are stupid or disengaged. Instead, three mechanisms limit accountability: lackluster political competition in elections; overlapping jurisdictions and complex institutions that confuse voters; and lack of effective media coverage that contributes to an already foggy information environment. These features of cities combine to stymie even well-intentioned voters and make accountability rare. Fixing these problems is challenging but possible.

The book is available for pre-order via Amazon and via UChicago Press.

Individual chapters:

Chapter 1: The Fog of Accountability in Cities

Chapter 2:  Voter Knowledge Deficits Hinder Accountability

Chapter 3: Ineffective Competition in Local Elections

Chapter 4: Visible and Simple Problems Drive Incumbent Fortunes

Chapter 5: Blurred Lines: Complex Institutions Complicate Accountability

Chapter 6: Foggy Problems: How the Media Helps Voters Overcome Information Barriers

Chapter 7: Strategic Finger-Pointing Can Hinder Accountability and Protect Incumbents

Chapter 8: Closest to the People?

Complete draft available upon request