Synopses & Reviews
This complete introduction to American government offers a comprehensive program that integrates the core text with supporting materials to benefit both students and instructors. The Eighth Edition maintains the highly acclaimed, non-ideological framework, exploring three themes: freedom, order, and equality as political values; the majoritarianism v. pluralism debate; and the effect of globalization on U.S. politics.
About the Author
Kenneth Janda (Ph.D., Indiana, 1961) is the Payson S. Wild Professor Emeritus of Political Science at Northwestern University. He has published extensively in the areas of political science, research methodology, and the use of computer technology in political science. In 2000, he won the Samuel Eldersveld Lifetime Achievement Award from the Political Organizations and Parties Section of the American Political Science Association. In 2009 he received the APSA's Frank J. Goodnow Award for distinguished service to the profession and the Association.Jeffrey M. Berry (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1974) is the John Richard Skuse Professor of Political Science at Tufts University. His books include THE REBIRTH OF URBAN DEMOCRACY (1993) and THE NEW LIBERALISM (1999). He is twice the recipient of the Leon Epstein Award, first for his book A VOICE FOR NONPROFITS (2003) and more recently for LOBBYING AND POLICY CHANGE (2009). He is also the recipient of the Samuel Eldersveld Career Achievement Award from the Political Organizations and Parties section of the American Political Science Association.Jerry Goldman (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins, 1974) is professor of political science at Northwestern University. His research interests are judicial politics, constitutional law, and information technology and politics, and he is the creator of The OYEZ Project, a public archive devoted to the U.S. Supreme Court. He has received many awards, including the American Bar Foundation's Sliver Gavel for increasing the public's understanding of law and the Roman and Littlefield Prize for Teaching Innovation.
Table of Contents
Note: Each chapter concludes with a Summary. I. Dilemmas of Democracy 1. Freedom, Order, or Equality? The Globalization of American Government The Purposes of Government A Conceptual Framework for Analyzing Government The Concepts of Freedom, Order, and Equality Two Dilemmas of Government Ideology and the Scope of Government American Political Ideologies and the Purpose of Government 2. Majoritarian or Pluralist Democracy? The Theory of Democratic Government Institutional Models of Democracy Democracy and Globalization II. Foundations of American Government 3. The Constitution The Revolutionary Roots of the Constitution From Revolution to Confederation From Confederation to Constitution The Final Product Selling the Constitution Constitutional Change An Evaluation of the Constitution 4. Federalism Theories and Metaphors Federalism's Dynamics Ideology, Policymaking, and American Federalism Federalism and Electoral Politics Federalism and the American Intergovernmental System Federalism and the International System Federalism and Pluralism III. Linking People with Government 5. Public Opinion and Political Socialization Public Opinion and the Models of Democracy The Distribution of Public Opinion Political Socialization Social Groups and Political Values From Values to Ideology The Process of Forming Political Opinions 6. The Media People, Government, and Communications The Development of the Mass Media in the United States Private Ownership of the Media Government Regulation of the Media Functions of the Mass Media for the Political System Evaluating the Media in Government 7. Participation and Voting Democracy and Political Participation Unconventional Participation Conventional Participation Participating Through Voting Explaining PoliticalParticipation Participation and Freedom, Equality, and Order Participation and the Models of Democracy 8. Political Parties Political Parties and Their Functions A History of U.S. Party Politics The American Two-Party System Party Ideology and Organization The Model of Responsible Party Government 9. Nominations, Elections, and Campaigns The Evolution of Campaigning Nominations Elections Campaigns Explaining Voting Choice Campaigns, Elections, and Parties 10. Interest Groups Interest Groups and the American Political Tradition How Interest Groups Form Interest Group Resources Lobbying Tactics Is the System Biased? IV. Institutions of Government 11. Congress The Origin and Powers of Congress Electing Congress How Issues Get on the Congressional Agenda The Dance of Legislation: An Overview Committees: The Workhorses of Congress Leaders and Followers in Congress The Legislative Environment The Dilemma of Representation Pluralism, Majoritarianism, and Democracy 12. The Presidency The Constitutional Basis of Presidential Power The Expansion of Presidential Power The Executive Branch Establishment Presidential Leadership The President as National Leader The President as World Leader 13. The Bureaucracy Organization Matters The Development of the Bureaucratic State Bureaus and Bureaucrats Administrative Policymaking: The Formal Processes Administrative Policymaking: Informal Politics Problems in Implementing Policy Reforming the Bureaucracy: More Control or Less? 14. The Courts National Judicial Supremacy The Organization of Courts The Supreme Court Judicial Recruitment The Consequences of Judicial Decisions The Courts and Models of Democracy V. Civil Liberties and Civil Rights 15. Order and Civil Liberties The Bill of Rights Freedom of Religion Freedom of Expression The Right to Bear Arms Applying the Bill of Rights to the States The Ninth Amendment and Personal Autonomy 16. Equality and Civil Rights Two Conceptions of Equality The Civil War Amendments The Dismantling of School Segregation The Civil Rights Movement Civil Rights for Other Minorities Gender and Equal Rights: The Women's Movement Affirmative Action: Equal Opportunity or Equal Outcome? VI. Making Public Policy 17. Policymaking Government Purposes and Public Policies The Policymaking Process Fragmentation and Coordination The Nonprofit Sector 18. Economic Policy Theories of Economic Policy Public Policy and the Budget Tax Policies Spending Policies Taxing, Spending, and Economic Equality 19. Domestic Policy The Development of the American Welfare State Social Security Public Assistance Health Care Elementary and Secondary Education Benefits and Fairness 20. Global Policy Making Foreign Policy: The Constitutional Context Making Foreign Policy: Organization and Cast A Review of U.S. Foreign Policy Global Policy Issue Areas The Public and Global Policy Appendix The Declaration of Independence Articles of Confederation The Constitution of the United States of America Federalist No. 10 (1787) Federalist No. 51 (1788) Presidents of the United States Justices of the Supreme Court Since 1900 Party Control of the Presidency, Senate, and House of Representatives 1901-2005