Jennifer Ricker

From Social Engineering to Democracy Promotion: an Examination of 125 Years of U.s. Political and Economic Policy Jennifer Ricker

In an age when U. S. policy makers appear obsessed with promoting democracy abroad, it is surprising how little citizens are equipped with an understanding of what is meant by the policy beyond the rhetoric. While investigating this policy, much of what I read resembled the problem solving methods developed during the U. S. historical experiment. Most fascinating was not the revolutionary ways with which the U. S. had promoted democracy within its own society, but rather the covetous way with which the market had been raised to a position of infallibility from the end of the U. S. Civil War to the present. This book traces U. S. history from Post-Reconstruction, examining how the market became the acceptable gauge of successful society, and how businesses served as models to policy makers and institutions engaged in engineering behavior that corresponded with scientific and technological definitions of progress. I emphasize U. S. democracy promotion as a methodical approach to societal organization that lacks flexible visions for achieving universal human rights. The discourse is presented for those interested in examining U. S. policy beyond the brand, 'Beacon of Freedom.'