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Out of the Running: Why Millennials Reject Political Careers and Why It Matters
An inside look into why Millennials are rejecting careers in politics, and what this means for the future of America's political system
Millennials are often publically criticized for being apathetic about the American political process and their lack of interest in political careers. But what do millennials themselves have to say about the prospect of holding political office? Are they as uninterested in political issues and the future of the American political system as the media suggests?
Out of the Running goes directly to the source and draws from extensive research, including over 50 interviews, with graduate students in elite institutions that have historically been a direct link for their graduates into state or federal elected Harvard Law, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and Boston’s Suffolk University Law School. Shauna Shames, herself a young graduate of Harvard University, suggests that millennials are not uninterested; rather, they don’t believe that a career in politics is the best way to create change. Millennials view the system as corrupt or inefficient and are particularly skeptical about the fundraising, frenzied media attention, and loss of privacy that have become staples of the American electoral process. They are clear about their desire to make a difference in the world but feel that the “broken” political system is not the best way to do so―a belief held particularly by millennial women and women of color.
The implications of Shames’ argument are crucial for the future of the American political system―how can a system adapt and grow if qualified, intelligent leaders are not involved? An engaging and accessible resource for anyone who follows American politics, Out of the Running highlights the urgent need to fix the American political system, as an absence of diverse millennial candidates leaves its future in a truly precarious position.
Millennials are often publically criticized for being apathetic about the American political process and their lack of interest in political careers. But what do millennials themselves have to say about the prospect of holding political office? Are they as uninterested in political issues and the future of the American political system as the media suggests?
Out of the Running goes directly to the source and draws from extensive research, including over 50 interviews, with graduate students in elite institutions that have historically been a direct link for their graduates into state or federal elected Harvard Law, Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and Boston’s Suffolk University Law School. Shauna Shames, herself a young graduate of Harvard University, suggests that millennials are not uninterested; rather, they don’t believe that a career in politics is the best way to create change. Millennials view the system as corrupt or inefficient and are particularly skeptical about the fundraising, frenzied media attention, and loss of privacy that have become staples of the American electoral process. They are clear about their desire to make a difference in the world but feel that the “broken” political system is not the best way to do so―a belief held particularly by millennial women and women of color.
The implications of Shames’ argument are crucial for the future of the American political system―how can a system adapt and grow if qualified, intelligent leaders are not involved? An engaging and accessible resource for anyone who follows American politics, Out of the Running highlights the urgent need to fix the American political system, as an absence of diverse millennial candidates leaves its future in a truly precarious position.
272 pages, Hardcover
Published January 31, 2017
66 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
November 15, 2017
"Out of the Running: Why Millennials Reject Political Careers and Why It Matters" by Rutgers Political Science Assistant Professor Shauna Shames was published by New York University Press in 2017. This superbly researched book analyzes underlying factors associated with costs and benefits that influence why millennial women and men are reluctant to seek political office. I believe these factors will impact the future of US democratic processes and governance. Her conclusions are thoughtful and worthy of our collective concern. (L)
August 3, 2024
1. Women generally see fewer rewards, particularly in not believing that politics can solve the issues they care about (the author doesn’t make this connection, but likely because there has been less policymaking around issues important to women, such as daycare)
2. Women generally see higher costs, PARTICULARLY in facing greater discrimination
3. The resulting "rewards-minus-costs scale" is the greatest predictor of political ambition. So, to get more women and more women of color to run, we need to increase rewards and decrease costs.
2. Women generally see higher costs, PARTICULARLY in facing greater discrimination
3. The resulting "rewards-minus-costs scale" is the greatest predictor of political ambition. So, to get more women and more women of color to run, we need to increase rewards and decrease costs.
August 1, 2025
Laminated cover
Interesting look at why people don’t run for office, with reasons including:
The intensive need for financing
The future need to support family
The abysmal salaries of lawmakers
The constant surveillance and lack of privacy of one’s behavior
Gender discrimination for female lawmakers
Interesting look at why people don’t run for office, with reasons including:
The intensive need for financing
The future need to support family
The abysmal salaries of lawmakers
The constant surveillance and lack of privacy of one’s behavior
Gender discrimination for female lawmakers
November 26, 2016
I found this to be a very interesting read; 4 stars.
First, I would strongly recommend reading this book in paperback or hardcover. The author includes a number of tables/charts in the book highlighting her findings, but these tables/charts do not translate well to the electronic version of the book [I received a copy of the e-book through NetGalley].
Second, this book will appeal most to people interested in politics, government, or social science. The author conducted interviews with students at Harvard Law School, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and Suffolk Law School regarding their interests in running for political office and what "costs" and "rewards" influenced their interest and how strong the influence was. By choosing an elite law school, an elite public policy graduate program, and a law school (Suffolk) whose alumni are disproportionately represented in Massachusetts state government, the author has self-selected a group of Millennials who, by their educational choices, have demonstrated a heightened interest in public service and possible interest in running for public office. As the author argues in the book, if this group of students sees strong negatives in running for public office, then it does not bode well for getting increased involvement in politics by millennials more generally.
There are sections of the book that may not interest a general audience or may be hard for a general audience to fully understand -- the author discusses in detail the study methodology and some of her discussion of the charts/tables she utilizes in the book is technical. However, overall the book is written in a manner that will be relatable to a general audience.
People will probably not find too much surprising in her discussion of the perceived "costs" (for example, invasion of privacy/constant media scrutiny, continuous fundraising, lack of ability to accomplish anything because of gridlock/partisanship) and "rewards" (for example, power/influence, chance to make a difference) of running for public office. It will also not surprise many that these students thought it was easier to run for office if you were a white male and that the subgroup least likely to run for political office was black women (who face the double "burden"/"costs" of race and gender).
The author has specific chapters that focus on gender and race. One of the interesting findings was that political interest seems to drop off in women between high school and college; women, at least among these study participants, were just as likely as men to have run for school office in high school or college, but something seemed to change either between high school and college or while in college in the cost/reward calculation that made women less likely to be interested in pursuing elected office post-college; this was one area where the author indicated more research would be beneficial.
Two things I particularly appreciated about the author's work is that (1) she acknowledges the limits of her study and suggests areas in her findings for which additional research would be beneficial and (2) she gives suggestions for ways to reform the political system to make it more appealing for a diverse group of people to become candidates for political office. The author includes an apt quote from the book "Running from Office" -- "How can we get more young people to aspire to run for office? The simple solution is for government to function more effectively, politicians to act more responsibly, and the news media to cover politics more substantively. If young people saw politics as a vibrant, effective way to engage with and improve their communities and society, then more of them would not be turned off by the thought of entering the fray."
First, I would strongly recommend reading this book in paperback or hardcover. The author includes a number of tables/charts in the book highlighting her findings, but these tables/charts do not translate well to the electronic version of the book [I received a copy of the e-book through NetGalley].
Second, this book will appeal most to people interested in politics, government, or social science. The author conducted interviews with students at Harvard Law School, the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, and Suffolk Law School regarding their interests in running for political office and what "costs" and "rewards" influenced their interest and how strong the influence was. By choosing an elite law school, an elite public policy graduate program, and a law school (Suffolk) whose alumni are disproportionately represented in Massachusetts state government, the author has self-selected a group of Millennials who, by their educational choices, have demonstrated a heightened interest in public service and possible interest in running for public office. As the author argues in the book, if this group of students sees strong negatives in running for public office, then it does not bode well for getting increased involvement in politics by millennials more generally.
There are sections of the book that may not interest a general audience or may be hard for a general audience to fully understand -- the author discusses in detail the study methodology and some of her discussion of the charts/tables she utilizes in the book is technical. However, overall the book is written in a manner that will be relatable to a general audience.
People will probably not find too much surprising in her discussion of the perceived "costs" (for example, invasion of privacy/constant media scrutiny, continuous fundraising, lack of ability to accomplish anything because of gridlock/partisanship) and "rewards" (for example, power/influence, chance to make a difference) of running for public office. It will also not surprise many that these students thought it was easier to run for office if you were a white male and that the subgroup least likely to run for political office was black women (who face the double "burden"/"costs" of race and gender).
The author has specific chapters that focus on gender and race. One of the interesting findings was that political interest seems to drop off in women between high school and college; women, at least among these study participants, were just as likely as men to have run for school office in high school or college, but something seemed to change either between high school and college or while in college in the cost/reward calculation that made women less likely to be interested in pursuing elected office post-college; this was one area where the author indicated more research would be beneficial.
Two things I particularly appreciated about the author's work is that (1) she acknowledges the limits of her study and suggests areas in her findings for which additional research would be beneficial and (2) she gives suggestions for ways to reform the political system to make it more appealing for a diverse group of people to become candidates for political office. The author includes an apt quote from the book "Running from Office" -- "How can we get more young people to aspire to run for office? The simple solution is for government to function more effectively, politicians to act more responsibly, and the news media to cover politics more substantively. If young people saw politics as a vibrant, effective way to engage with and improve their communities and society, then more of them would not be turned off by the thought of entering the fray."
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews