United States

The United States performs relatively poorly (rank 22) in the category of vertical accountability.

Electoral administration is decentralized and fragmented, with broad federal criteria set by the constitution, but most electoral rules controlled by state governments. States have significant power over election administration, including defining voter eligibility and maintaining electoral rolls. Partisan gerrymandering is a major challenge to democratic principles.

The U.S. party system has become more nationalized and ideologically aligned in recent years. Both the Democratic and Republican parties now have clearer ideological identities, each accommodating “moderates” and “extremists” within their ranks. However, increased polarization has reduced cross-party cooperation, contributing to legislative gridlock.

The U.S. government generally promotes transparency, releasing significant amounts of public information. Many national security documents are classified, but courts have sometimes forced the government to declassify more than it had originally intended.

The United States falls into the sample’s middle ranks (rank 13) in the category of diagonal accountability.

The First Amendment strongly protects freedom of speech and the press in the United States. Media generally operate without government interference. However, media ownership is concentrated among a few wealthy individuals. Hyper-partisanship is now a defining feature of the media landscape, helping to intensify political divides.

The fragment media landscape remains pluralistic, but local journalism declined significantly, with most local broadcast and print media now owned by a small number of national firms. Americans have robust rights to form political groups without state intrusion or interference.

The labor movement has a comparatively limited impact on policymaking in most areas. Social welfare organizations can engage in lobbing and political activity. Funding rules have allowed wealthy donors to bankroll “astroturf” activism that pretends to be grassroots-based. Environmental groups are influential and well-funded, but face stiff competition from industry.

The United States performs relatively poorly internationally (rank 23) in the category of horizontal accountability.

Inspectors general monitor government agencies for unlawful or inefficient actions. They are highly respected, and seen as less politicized than other government actors. While there is no single national data protection authority, the Federal Trade Commission and state attorneys general fulfill some of these functions.

The United States has two legal systems: federal law and state law. The Supreme Court’s decisions are binding across all courts, though most cases are handled by state systems. Federal judges are appointed in alignment with the president’s legal philosophy. State judges are often subject to election, sometimes with a partisan label.

The Department of Justice is a significant actor in pursuing entities that infringe on individual rights. The individual chambers of Congress have their own ethics and anticorruption rules. Congress has very extensive resources, and participates in shaping policy. However, if the majority is of the same party as the president, it rarely seeks to hold the executive accountable.

In the category of coordination, the United States falls into the sample’s bottom ranks (rank 28).

The president and White House staff lead the executive branch, setting priorities based on the president’s agenda. Federal departments generally operate with significant policy autonomy, and much policymaking happens within individual departments. Cross-department coordination is often informal, relying on personal networks.

The executive branch under Trump saw calamitous coordination failures, largely reflecting general problems of understaffing and a lack of competent leadership. The Biden administration has hired more staff and appointed competent leaders, showing a more orderly approach.

The country’s system of federalism creates very uneven delivery of public services across the nation. The federal government can impose conditionality on funding, but states in some cases refuse the funding in opposition to federal policy priorities. In general, state governments exercise a high degree of autonomy.

The United States is one of three countries to share the SGI 2024’s top position (rank 1) in the category of consensus-building.

The federal government is well-resourced and employs scientists across agencies to inform policy. The Department of Energy oversees national laboratories and the Office of Science, which is the largest funder of science in the United States.

Both labor and business organizations employ full-time lobbyists to advocate for their members and interests. Federal agencies occasionally solicit input from labor and business groups during public consultations. Social welfare groups provide input to legislation during comment periods, and serve as informal advisers or even partners in the delivery of certain programs.

The influence wielded by environmental groups depends on the political inclinations of the administration in power. Such groups occasionally work directly with federal environmental agencies. The federal government and its agencies make a vast amount of data available online, accessible to the public.

The United States performs comparatively well (rank 7) in the category of sensemaking.

No central body is responsible for strategic foresight. The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy proposes science and tech research initiatives, while the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency funds high-risk, high-reward projects.

Regulatory impact assessments (RIAs) are not legally required, but various executive orders and agency guidelines encourage their use. However, some agencies do not have the resources to conduct comprehensive RIAs, and no uniform standards are in place.

There is no overarching statutory requirement for sustainability assessments in RIAs, but the Biden administration instructed federal agencies to prioritize environmental justice and consider climate change impacts in regulatory actions. Federal agencies widely use ex post evaluations to assess the impact and effectiveness of federal policies.

The United States falls into the middle ranks internationally (rank 17) in the category of economic sustainability.

The Biden administration has sought to advance circular economy principles. Critical infrastructure strategies rely heavily on private sector involvement. The last few years have seen the passage of significant climate legislation, strongly boosting clean energy manufacturing. The government aims to achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.

Labor market policies are largely shaped by the individual states. Federal laws prohibit workplace discrimination. The federal government funds active labor market programs, but the social safety net is relatively sparse. No federal-level comprehensive paid leave policy exists.

Revenues stem from a large variety of taxes. The tax system is very complicated, and does not produce enough revenue to fulfill major obligations. Deficits and overall debt levels remain concerning. Fiscal rules such as the debt ceiling are routinely modified. The U.S. is a key actor in shaping and funding the international financial architecture.

In the category of social sustainability, the United States falls into the sample’s bottom ranks (rank 28).

Education is largely managed by the states, with substantial inequalities in funding and resources across localities. Teacher shortages are chronic, in part due to low wages. Federal social safety nets are very limited, but are supplemented to varying degrees by state governments, resulting in an uneven welfare state. Programs overall provide only minimal support.

The healthcare system is fragmented, with about half of the population relying on employer-based insurance, limiting labor mobility. Quality is outstanding at best, but access to the system is extremely uneven. Health outcomes are often poor, especially for low-income populations. The federal focus on gender equality depends strongly on the particular administration.

Federal law allows for 12 weeks of unpaid family leave. Some childcare costs can be deducted from tax bills. Social security pensions are often supplemented by private pension schemes. Old-age poverty rates are comparatively high. Very large numbers of legal and undocumented migrants enter the country every year. The U.S. is the world’s largest foreign aid provider.

The United States falls into the middle ranks internationally (rank 15) in the area of environmental sustainability.

The federal government has committed to reaching net-zero emissions by 2050, but this is not binding. The Biden administration has aimed for achieving 100% clean energy by 2035, and has made significant investments in solar and wind power and energy efficiency. These policy aims may change with future administrations.

The Environmental Protection Agency sets and enforces pollution standards and monitors hazardous substances. Private sector industries are required to disclose information about potential hazardous substances they may be using. The Biden administration reviewed and revoked Trump-era regulations that weakened pollution standards.

Ecosystem preservation duties are shared by federal, state and local entities, with varying levels of commitment. Endangered species laws are well established, and large amounts of land are protected under federal law. The country has played a strong role in advancing environmental diplomacy, but participation has sometimes been hobbled by domestic politics.