“...this vital book uncovers both the hurdles and the hope of democracy as a grass roots project, showing how people recognizing their shared interests can come together to build power for action and change.”
Virtual Book Launch | 1.28.26 3:30pm
Join Mallory and Jamila for a critical dialogue oriented around the themes of the book, including an engaging conversation with guest speakers Hahrie Han (Johns Hopkins University) and Tara Raghuveer (Tenant Union Federation & KC Tenants). Use the QR code to register.
“Uncivil Democracy is the rare book that provides a holistic investigation of how people interact with the political system, combining humane storytelling, meticulous analysis, and brilliant insights. A must-read not only for its examination of the politics of civil injustice but also for its theoretical perspectives on how to study politics.”
Mallory is the Tony and Teddie Brown Associate Professor of Public Policy at the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University. Her work explores how public policies and political institutions influence the way that people think about politics and exercise their political power in the United States. She focuses particularly on consumer credit and debt and people navigating financial hardship.
Mallory’s most recent book—Uncivil Democracy: How Access to Justice Shapes Political Power (with Jamila Michener)—explores how people’s experiences navigating the U.S. civil legal system indelibly shape their democratic citizenship for better and worse. Her first book—Democracy Declined: the Failed Politics of Consumer Financial Protection—explores why the political response from policymakers, interest groups, and borrowers failed to successfully address predatory lending in the wake of the financial crisis. Currently, she is studying 1) the politics of consumer debt relief and 2) the emerging political economy of “fringetech.”
She holds a PhD in Government from Cornell, an MPP from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, and a BA with honors from Smith College. Mallory has also worked in both electoral politics and policy advocacy.
