Ungoverning: The Attack on the Administrative State and the Politics of Chaos

How a concentrated attack on political institutions threatens to disable the essential workings of government

In this unsettling book, Russell Muirhead and Nancy Rosenblum trace how ungoverning—the deliberate effort to dismantle the capacity of government to do its work—has become a malignant part of politics. Democracy depends on a government that can govern, and that requires what’s called administration. The administrative state is made up of the vast array of departments and agencies that conduct the essential business of government, from national defense and disaster response to implementing and enforcing public policies of every kind. Ungoverning chronicles the reactionary movement that demands dismantling the administrative state. The demand is not for goals that can be met with policies or programs. When this demand is frustrated, as it must be, the result is an invitation to violence.

Muirhead and Rosenblum unpack the idea of ungoverning through many examples of the politics of destruction. They show how ungoverning disables capacities that took generations to build—including the administration of free and fair elections. They detail the challenges faced by officials who are entrusted with running the government and who now face threats and intimidation from those who would rather bring it crashing down—and replace the regular processes of governing with chaotic personal rule.

The unfamiliar phenomenon of ungoverning threatens us all regardless of partisanship or ideological leaning. Ungoverning will not be limited to Donald Trump’s moment on the political stage. To resist this threat requires that we first recognize what ungoverning is and what it portends.

Purchasing information

Available at your local book store (Hardcover 29.95, audio also available): 

Gibson's Bookstore, 45 South Main St., Concord, NH 03301  603-224-0562 IN STOCK

Main Street BookEnds of Warner, 16 East Main St., Warner, NH 03278 (603) 456-2700

Toadstool Bookstores, 12 Depot St., Peterborough, NH 03458   (603) 924-3543

We're very excited to invite you to the 2025 Annual Meeting!

This year's Annual Meeting will be held on June 18, 2025 at the Derryfield Restaurant in Manchester.  Doors will open at 5:30 for cocktails and mingling. Dinner will be at 6pm (be sure to email Doreen if you have dietary restrictions).

Our very special guest speaker will be Laura Brill, Founder and Director of the Civics Center.  Laura is an attorney, former law clerk to Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg and a mother of two young adults.  An award winning advocate with more than two decades of experience working on complex legal issues and advocating for the LGBTQ community and for equal rights, she launched The Civics Center in 2018 to stop youth voter suppression and tackle the decades-old problem of low youth turnout.

We will also have awards and elect officers for both Open Democracy and Open Democracy Action.

You won't want to miss this special event!

Tickets are $50 each, please use link below.

Please CLICK HERE for $25 student/youth option.

If you are unable to attend, please consider donating a ticket or becoming a Sponsor.  And as always, if cost is a barrier to your attending, please email Doreen for details on receiving a donated ticket.