Uncovering the Dome

Was the public interest served in Minnesota’s ten-year political brawl over the Metrodome? This case study tells the story of how a 55 million domed stadium called the Hubert Humphrey Metrodome came to be built in Minneapolis. More important, it offers an opportunity to explore the way things work in American politics: the shifting coalitions and uncertain outcomes; the scattered interests and chaotic atmosphere; the differing conceptions of what serves the public interest. This is not an idealized version of how things should work in American politics, but a story of how they do work!