Constitutional design gives US institutions exceptional power to block change

Evidence

The policymaking institutions established by the US Constitution are extreme in their capacity to impede policy change. Four characteristics explain why: (1) a large number of veto players, (2) the Senate filibuster, (3) Senate malapportionment, and (4) the difficulty of amending the US Constitution. — Nathan Kelly and Jana Morgan, How US Policymaking Institutions…, 61

Categorization

• SHARE: Neat compact list of the four structural choke points — good for anyone who argues about why Congress ‘can’t do anything.’