The Cash Ceiling: Why Only the Rich Ones Run for Office— And What we Can Do about It

Placeholder author icon
By Nicholas Carnes *11

Published Sept. 5, 2018

The Cash Ceiling (Princeton University Press), as Nicholas Carnes *11 calls it, keeps working-class Americans from running for political office, but it doesn't have to. He argues that programs to recruit and support working-class citizens could increase economic diversity in our government and make it more representative.

Paw in print

Image
The October 2025 cover of PAW, featuring an illustration of a woman dressed like Superman, but the S on her chest is a dollar sign.
The Latest Issue

October 2025

Philanthropist MacKenzie Scott ’92; President Eisgruber ’83 defends higher ed; Julia Ioffe ’05 explains Russia.