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 website of the same name. 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

Mount Holyoke College’s longest-running tradition is Mountain Day, and this year, the community made its way to the top of Mt. Holyoke to celebrate.

Mount Holyoke College’s Professor Jared Schwartzer, a behavioral neuroscientist, spoke to the Boston Globe about the move to relabel this form of folic acid as a treatment for autism.

Mount Holyoke College Art Museum (MHCAM) hosted a panel to celebrate the artist Anni Albers. An exhibition of Albers’ work will be on view through Dec. 9, 2025.

Recent Publications

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