Forward: Notes on the Future of Our Democracy

A lively and bold blueprint for moving beyond the “era of
institutional failure” by transforming our outmoded political and
economic systems to be resilient to twenty-first-century problems, from
the popular entrepreneur, bestselling author, and political truth-teller.
“A vitally important book.”—Mark Cuban
 
Despite
being written off by the media, Andrew Yang’s shoestring 2020
presidential campaign—powered by his proposal for a universal basic
income of $1,000 a month for all Americans—jolted the political
establishment, growing into a massive, diverse movement. 
 
Now, in Forward,
Yang reveals that UBI and the threat of job automation are only the
beginning, diagnosing how a series of cascading problems within our
antiquated systems keeps us stuck in the past—imperiling our democracy
at every level. With America’s stagnant institutions failing to keep
pace with technological change, we grow more polarized as tech platforms
supplant our will while feasting on our data. Yang introduces us to the
various “priests of the decline” of America, including politicians
whose incentives have become divorced from the people they supposedly
serve. 
 
The machinery of American democracy is failing, Yang
argues, and we need bold new ideas to rewire it for twenty-first-century
problems. Inspired by his experience running for office and as an
entrepreneur, and by ideas drawn from leading thinkers, Yang offers a
series of solutions, including data rights, ranked-choice voting, and
fact-based governance empowered by modern technology, writing that
“there is no cavalry”—it’s up to us. This is a powerful and urgent
warning that we must step back from the brink and plot a new way forward
for our democracy.
**