Douglas J. Amy

  • Professor Emeritus of Politics

Douglas Amy is a leading expert on electoral voting systems, including proportional representation, redistricting issues in the United States, and the plight of third party candidacies. His books on this subject include Behind the Ballot Box: A Citizen's Guide to Voting Systems (2000) and Real Choices, New Voices: How Proportional Representation Elections Could Revitalize American Democracy (2002), which won the George H. Hallett Award from the American Political Science Association. 

Amy's most recent book is Government Is Good: An Unapologetic Defense of a Vital Institution (2011)—based on his . The book and website detail government's crucial role in improving Americans' lives and promoting the public good. Amy also takes on the major criticisms of government put forward by the anti-government movement and shows that most are exaggerated or just plain wrong. He argues that democratic government is one of the main ways we work together to pursue the common good and make the world a better place, and he concludes that “if we want an America that is prosperous, healthy, secure, well-educated, just, compassionate, and unpolluted, we need a strong, active, and well-funded public sector.”

Areas of Expertise

Debate over size of government; response to attacks on government; reforms to make government more democratic; voting systems; proportional representation

Education

  • Ph.D., University of Massachusetts
  • M.A., B.A., University of Washington,

Happening at Mount Holyoke

Recent Campus News

91Ƶappƽ students Kelly Aja ’27 and Kimberly Dominguez ’27 have been selected for the Beckman Scholars Program through a competitive application process.

The Phoenix, once a neglected outbuilding on the 91Ƶappƽ campus, has been transformed into an environmentally conscious studio space thanks to a team of faculty and student research assistants.

91Ƶappƽ has selected “Parable of the Sower” for its Common Read for the 2025–2026 academic year. The New York Times named the novel a Notable Book of the Year for its prescient treatment of racial justice, climate collapse and fascism.

Recent Publications

Amy, D. J. (2020, August 14). Second-Rate Democracy. 

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