Synopses & Reviews
Now in its Third Edition, this collection gathers together nearly four dozen classic and contemporary readings that provide essential insights into the workings of the American political and governmental processes.
Table of Contents
Preface. Foreword to the Third Edition by John W. Kingdon. Foreword to the Second Edition by Nelson W. Polsby. Foreword to the First Edition by Theodore J. Lowi. I: Political Culture and Traditions. Alexis de Tocqueville, Equality of Condition. Louis Hartz, The Concept of a Liberal Society. Charles A. Beard, The Constitution as an Economic Document. Gordon S. Wood, The American Science of Politics. James Madison, Federalist 10. II: Federalism. Samuel H. Beer, The National Idea in American Politics. Morton Grodzins, The Federal System. Martha Derthick, The Enduring Features of American Federalism. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 27 and 28. James Madison, Federalist 39. III: Political Power. C. Wright Mills, The Structure of Power in American Society. Robert A. Dahl, On the Species Homo Politicus. Peter Bacharach and Morton S. Baratz, Two Faces of Power. IV: Political Parties and Elections. Anthony Downs, An Economic Theory of Democracy. Donald E. Stokes, Spatial Models of Party Competition. Morris P. Fiorina, The Decline of Collective Responsibility in America Politics. V. O. Key, Elections as Collective Decisions. V: Interest Groups and Lobbying. Mancur Olson, Jr., Collective Action: The Logic. Richard L. Hall and Frank W. Wayman, Buying Time: Moneyed Interests and the Mobilization of Bias. Hugh Heclo, Issue Networks and the Executive Establishment. E. E. Schattschneider, The Scope and Bias of the Pressure System. VI: The Congress. James Madison, Federalist 51. Warren E. Miller and Donald E. Stokes, Constituency Influence in Congress. David R. Mayhew, Divided We Govern. Nelson W. Polsby, The Institutionalization of the U.S. House of Representatives. Richard F. Fenno, Jr., Congressmen in Committees. VII: The Presidency. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 69. Aaron Wildavsky, The Two Presidencies. Richard E. Neustadt, The Power to Persuade. Charles O. Jones, Separating to Govern: The American Way. Doris Kearns, Lyndon Johnson and the America Dream. VIII: The Bureaucracy. James Q. Wilson, The Bureaucracy Problem. Herbert Kaufman, Red Tape. IX: The Judiciary. Edward S. Corwin, The "Higher Law" Background of American Constitutional Law. Alexander Hamilton, Federalist 78. Walter f. Murphy, Marshalling the Court. Martin M. Shapiro, The Presidency and the Federal Courts. X: The Policy Process. James W. Kingdon, Agenda Setting. Charles E. Lindblom, The Science of "Muddling Through". Edward C. Banfield, Influence and the Public Interest. Theodore J. Lowi, Distribution, Regulation, Redistribution: The Functions of Government.