Jacob S. Hacker

In this essay for the Washington Center for Equitable Growth, BESI director Paul Pierson and his frequent collaborator, Yale political scientist Jacob Hacker, describe the shifting coalitional bases of America’s two major parties and how relate to the political-economic geography of the U.S.

In a December 2023 article for the journal Perspectives on Politics, BESI director Paul Pierson and his co-authors argue that the Democratic Party has assembled its "U-shaped" coalition by formulating an increasingly bold economic program — not by appealing to culture and identity, as is often suggested.