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American Government: 2008 Update Edition, 8th Edition
ISBN-10: 0618942610 ISBN-13: 9780618942619
592 Pages Paperbound
© 2008 Published
- Overview
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- About the Author
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- Table of Contents
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- Features
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- New to this Edition
Table of Contents
1. Myth and Reality in American Politics
Myths and American Government
The Nature of Government and Politics
Fundamental Issues of Government and Politics
Overview of This Book
2. Constitutional Foundations
The Setting for Constitutional Change
The Framers
The Roots of the Constitution
What the Framers Did
The Principles of American Constitutionalism
Conclusion: Living, Enduring, and Political
3. Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations
The Evolution of American Federalism
The Actors of American Federalism
Conclusion: The Principles and Pragmatism of Federalism
4. The Heritage of Rights and Liberties
Applying the Bill of Rights to the States
The First Amendment Freedoms
Due Process and Crime
Privacy
Equal Protection of the Laws
Conclusion: Absolutes and Qualifications
5. Public Opinion and Political Participation
What Is Public Opinion?
How We Develop Our Beliefs and Opinions
How Polls Work
The Paradox of Public Opinion
Group Opinion: Diversity and Uniformity
Avenues of Political Participation
Conclusion: Many Minorities, Much Activity
6. Political Parties
What Parties Are and What They Do
Who Belongs to Major Parties and Why?
American-Style Politics: The Two-Party System
Party Structure from the Bottom Up
Conclusion: Decline or Transformation of Political Parties?
7. Campaigns and Elections
Nominations: The Selection Process
The Race for Office
The Media and Campaigns: Are We Brainwashed?
Campaigns and Political Parties
Voting and Elections
The Electoral College
Promises, Promises: The Link Between Campaigns and Public Policy
Conclusion: Do Elections Matter?
8. Interest Groups
Movers and Shakers: Interest and Other Advocacy Groups
What Makes an Interest Group Powerful
Interest Group Tactics: "You Don't Lobby with Hundred-Dollar Bills and Wild Parties"
Interest Groups and Democracy
Conclusion: Corrupt or Constructive?
9. Media And Politics
The Rise of the Media
Making News
The Effects of the Mass Media
The Uneasy Alliance Between Government and the Media
Conclusion: The Great Manipulator?
10. Congress
A Portrait of Congress
The Work of Congress
The Organization of Congress
How a Bill Becomes a Law
Congressional Voting
Conclusion: Is Congress the Broken Branch?
11. The Presidency
The Growth of the Presidency
Presidential Roles
The Institutional Presidency
The White House Office: Two Management Styles
Presidential Influence
Conclusion: The All-Powerful President?
12. Bureaucracy
A Profile of the Federal Bureaucracy
Growth of the American Bureaucracy
Bureaucratic Power
Bureaucratic Problems and Reforms
Conclusion: Expectations and Government Operations
13. Courts, Judges, and the Law
The Origins and Types of American Law
The Structure of the Court Systems
The Federal and State Court Systems
Recruiting and Removing Judges
The Supreme Court at Work
The Implementation of Court Decisions
Conclusion: The Courts Are Not What They Seem
14. Domestic Policy and Policymaking
Making Public Policy
Education Policy
Managing the Economy
Economic Development Policies
Regulatory Policies
Social Welfare Policies
Conclusion: The Complexity of American Public Policy
15. Foreign and Defense Policy
Changing Parameters of Foreign and Defense Policies
Vulnerability in Historical Perspective
Making Foreign and Defense Policy
Wielding Democratic Power
Military and Defense Strategies
Conclusion: The Reshaping of Foreign and Defense Policy