Sociologist and political scientist Lane Kenworthy makes an insightful point about the current political season. There is much enthusiasm for “change,” triggered mainly by the rhetoric of Barack Obama but also embraced in various forms by other candidates. Yet as Kenworthy points out:

“The change they’ve embraced is political change. When it comes to economic change, enthusiasm is decidedly more muted. Many Americans would be happy with a change in our economic policies. But the notion that we should get used to—and perhaps even welcome—continuous, regular economic change is a tougher sell. This is particularly evident with respect to globalization.”

Kenworthy offers several suggestions for making such change more palatable to voters of both parties.