Reading Albert Hirschman (and Michael Wolff) in Trump’s Washington

In 1970, the economist Albert Hirschman, former Professor in the School of Social Science, published a short book outlining the choices available to public officials confronted by immoral or dysfunctional behavior in office. One option was to “kick up a fuss” from within, which Hirschman called the exercise of “voice.” Another was to quit in protest, which he termed the recourse to “exit.” Hirschman was a pragmatist, not a revolutionary, but his book, titled “Exit, Voice, and Loyalty,” bore the spirit of its time.

Read more as the New Yorker's Eyal Press explores how these ideas relate to contemporary politics and departures from the Trump cabinet.

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