American Government: Institutions and Policies, 11th Edition

American Government Institutions and Policies 11th Edition - 2008. CONTENTS PREFACE ABOUT THE AUTHORS PART I: The American System 1 The Study of American Government What Is Political Power? What Is Democracy? Is Representative Democracy Best? How Is Political Power Distributed? Is Democracy Driven by Self-Interest? What Explains Political Change? The Nature of Politics 2 The Constitution The Problem of Liberty The Constitutional Convention The Challenge The Constitution and Democracy The Constitution and Liberty The Motives of the Framers Constitutional Reform: Modern Views 3 Federalism Why Federalism Matters Governmental Structure The Founding The Debate on the Meaning of Federalism Federal-State Relations Federal Aid and Federal Control A Devolution Revolution? Congress and Federalism 4 American Political Culture Political Culture Comparing America with Other Nations The Sources of Political Culture Mistrust of Government Political Tolerance 5 Civil Liberties Culture and Civil Liberties Interpreting and Applying the First Amendment What Is Speech? Who Is a Person? Church and State Crime and Due Process 6 Civil Rights The Black Predicament The Campaign in the Courts The Campaign in Congress Women and Equal Rights Affirmative Action Gays and the Constitution PART II: Opinions, Interests, and Organizations 7 Public Opinion Public Opinion and Democracy What Is Public Opinion? Political Socialization: The Family Cleavages in Public Opinion Political Ideology Political Elites, Public Opinion, and Public Policy 8 Political Participation A Closer Look at Nonvoting The Rise of the American Electorate Who Participates in Politics? 9 Political Parties Parties—Here and Abroad The Rise and Decline of the Political Party The National Party Structure Today State and Local Parties The Two-Party System Minor Parties Nominating a President Parties Versus Voters 10 Elections and Campaigns Campaigns, Then and Now Presidential Versus Congressional Campaigns Primary Versus General Campaigns Money Who Decides the Election? The Effects of Elections on Policy 11 Interest Groups Explaining Proliferation The Birth of Interest Groups Kinds of Organizations Interest Groups and Social Movements Funds for Interest Groups The Problem of Bias The Activities of Interest Groups Regulating Interest Groups 12 The Media Journalism in American Political History The Structure of the Media Rules Governing the Media Are the National Media Biased? Government and the News PART III: Institutions of Government 13 Congress Congress Versus Parliament The Evolution of Congress Who Is in Congress? Do Members Represent Their Voters? A Polarized Congress The Organization of Congress: Parties and Caucuses The Organization of Congress: Committees The Organization of Congress: Staffs and Specialized Offices How a Bill Becomes Law Reducing Power and Perks The Post–9/11 Congress 14 The Presidency Presidents and Prime Ministers Divided Government The Evolution of the Presidency The Powers of the President The Office of the President Who Gets Appointed Presidential Character The Power to Persuade The Power to Say No The President’s Program Presidential Transition How Powerful Is the President? 15 The Bureaucracy Distinctiveness of the American Bureaucracy Proxy Government The Growth of the Bureaucracy The Federal Bureaucracy Today Congressional Oversight Bureaucratic “Pathologies” Reforming the Bureaucracy 16 The Judiciary The Development of the Federal Courts The Structure of the Federal Courts The Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts Getting to Court The Supreme Court in Action The Power of the Federal Courts Checks on Judicial Power PART IV: The Politics of Public Policy 17 The Policy-Making Process Setting the Agenda Making a Decision Majoritarian Politics: Distributed Benefits, Distributed Costs Interest Group Politics: Concentrated Benefits, Concentrated Costs Client Politics: Concentrated Benefits, Distributed Costs Entrepreneurial Politics: Distributed Benefits, Concentrated Costs The Case of Business Regulation Perceptions, Beliefs, Interests, and Values 18 Economic Policy How Reliable Are Projections About the Future? The Politics of Economic Prosperity The Politics of Taxing and Spending Economic Theories and Political Needs The Machinery of Economic Policy Making Spending Money The Budget Reducing Spending Levying Taxes 19 Social Welfare Two Kinds of Welfare Programs Social Welfare in the United States Majoritarian Versus Client Politics 20 Foreign and Military Policy Kinds of Foreign Policy The Constitutional and Legal Context The Machinery of Foreign Policy Foreign Policy and Public Opinion Cleavages Among Foreign Policy Elites The Use of Military Force The Defense Budget The Structure of Defense Decision-Making The New Problem of Terrorism 21 Environmental Policy The American Context Entrepreneurial Politics: Global Warming Majoritarian Politics: Pollution from Automobiles Interest Group Politics: Acid Rain Client Politics: Agricultural Pesticides The Environmental Uncertainties The Results PART V: The Nature of American Democracy 22 Who Governs? To What Ends? Restraints on the Growth of Government Relaxing the Restraints The Old System The New System Consequences of Activist Government The Influence of Structure The Influence of Ideas APPENDIXES GLOSSARY NOTES INDEX PHOTO CREDITS

acclaimed For The Scholarship Of Its Prominent Authors And The Clarity Of Its Narrative, American Government: The Essentials Preserves The Structure Of The Main Text But Replaces The Policy Chapters With One Brief Chapter On The Policymaking Process While Maintaining Focus On Three Fundamental Topics: The Institutions Of American Government; The Historical Development Of Governmental Procedures, Actors, And Policies; And Who Governs In The United States And To What Ends. User Involvement In The Material Is Bolstered By Proven Pedagogical Features Such As Chapter Outlines, Who Governs? And To What Ends? Learning Objective Questions Framing Each Chapter And How Things Work Boxes That Summarize Important Facts. The Significantly Enhanced Media Package With New Online Tools Makes The Learning Experience Engaging And Accessible.