Ginsberg, Benjamin

Benjamin Ginsberg (born 1947) is an American political scientist who is David Bernstein Professor, and Chair of Center for Advanced Governmental Studies, at Johns Hopkins University. Much of his earlier career was spent at Cornell University. Noted for holding libertarian views, Ginsberg is known for his criticism of American politics, in which he says that citizens have become "marginalized as political actors" and political parties weakened while state power has grown. His assessment of the futility of voting, along with his notion that the public has an illusion of control over government, has caused controversy. He is a co-author, along with Matthew Crenson, of Downsizing Democracy, 2004, which received critical attention in mainstream newspapers.