Understanding American Politics

Understanding American Politics PDF Author: Stephen Brooks
Publisher: University of Toronto Press
ISBN: 1442605995
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 449

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Book Description
The second edition provides a very strong introduction to political institutions and includes a new chapter on public opinion. The entire book has been revised throughout, taking into account the dramatic changes that have emerged since the 2010 congressional elections, as well as incorporating the results of the 2012 presidential election. it also pays close attention to what is seen as the irreversible decline in America's global influence."--Pub. desc.

Explaining American Politics

Explaining American Politics PDF Author: Robert Williams
Publisher: Taylor & Francis
ISBN: 1040009190
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 212

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Book Description
First published in 1990, Explaining American Politics looks at substantial and specific problems in American politics. Focusing on the key issues in contemporary American government, the contributors give lively and provocative interpretations of controversial topics such as the New Right, perceptions of the Presidency, the alleged irresponsibility of Congress, the workings of bureaucracy, Supreme Court activism, and the decline of political parties. This book will be indispensable to all students of American politics as well as to the reader who wants to understand what is really happening in the world’s most complex and fascinating political system.

How American Politics Works

How American Politics Works PDF Author: Richard J. Gelm
Publisher: Cambridge Scholars Publishing
ISBN: 1443808814
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 225

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Book Description
American politics is criticized and belittled by media critics and the public, yet the system is held out as a model for the world. The paradox of this simultaneous cynicism and adulation is rooted in the conflict between the human motives that drive politics. Crisply and clearly written with numerous historical examples, How American Politics Works explains the complex and sometimes confusing American political system in a vibrant and accessible light. Documented with recent and historical scholarship presented clearly in laymen’s terms, How American Politics Works explores the multiple dimensions of politics and the source of Americans’ disillusionment with their government through the “four Ps”: Philosophy, Pragmatism, Personality and Profit. Philosophical and moral principles underpin the key political institutions in America, but values are challenged in the quest to achieve workable political solutions. Policy is rarely made to conform to lofty principles alone. It often results from short-term incremental compromise, driven by people in pursuit of the public good and their own personal self-interest and profit. How American Politics Works explains the inner workings of the American political system, including the power of ideas, political compromise, powerful personalities and the preeminent position of money. While Americans’ high ideals are often illusive in the rough and tumble of political battles, and the public’s trust is bruised with every political scandal, balancing idealism and individual virtue with ambition and self-interest is the dynamic and safeguard of American politics. How American Politics Works offers a comprehensive presentation of the realities, challenges and possibilities of the American political system to bring an understanding, fascination and dedication to the wider public.

Party Position Change in American Politics

Party Position Change in American Politics PDF Author: David Karol
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 0521517168
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 327

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Book Description
In this book David Karol explains important variations in party position change, enhancing our understanding of parties, interest groups, and representation.

The Increasingly United States

The Increasingly United States PDF Author: Daniel J. Hopkins
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022653040X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 307

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Book Description
In a campaign for state or local office these days, you’re as likely today to hear accusations that an opponent advanced Obamacare or supported Donald Trump as you are to hear about issues affecting the state or local community. This is because American political behavior has become substantially more nationalized. American voters are far more engaged with and knowledgeable about what’s happening in Washington, DC, than in similar messages whether they are in the South, the Northeast, or the Midwest. Gone are the days when all politics was local. With The Increasingly United States, Daniel J. Hopkins explores this trend and its implications for the American political system. The change is significant in part because it works against a key rationale of America’s federalist system, which was built on the assumption that citizens would be more strongly attached to their states and localities. It also has profound implications for how voters are represented. If voters are well informed about state politics, for example, the governor has an incentive to deliver what voters—or at least a pivotal segment of them—want. But if voters are likely to back the same party in gubernatorial as in presidential elections irrespective of the governor’s actions in office, governors may instead come to see their ambitions as tethered more closely to their status in the national party.

The Origins of American Politics

The Origins of American Politics PDF Author: Bernard Bailyn
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307798518
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 193

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Book Description
"An astonishing range of reading in contemporary tracts and modern authorities is manifest, and many aspects of British and colonial affairs are illuminated. As a political analysis this very important contribution will be hard to refute...." —Frederick B. Tolles, Political Science Quarterly "He produces historical analysis which is as revealing to the political scientist or sociologist as to the historian, of the significance of social and cultural forces on political changes in eighteenth-century America." —John D. Lees, Cambridge University Press "...these well-argued essays represent the first sustained and systematic attempt to provide a comprehensive and integrated analysis of all elements of American political life during the late colonial period...the author has once again put all students concerned with colonial America heavily in his intellectual debt." —Jack P. Greene, The New York Historical Society Quarterly "...Mr. Bailyn brings to his effort a splendid gift for pertinent curiosity. What he has found, and what patterns he has made of his findings, light our way through his longitudes and latitudes of scholarly precision." —Charles Poore, The New York Times

The Irony of Democracy

The Irony of Democracy PDF Author: Thomas R. Dye
Publisher: Thomson Brooks/Cole
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 500

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Book Description
Elites, not masses, govern America. The Eighth Edition sharpens its provocative theme on the role of elitism in a democratic society. The Irony of Democracy forces students to rethink all they have held dear about American democracy. Elite theory plays foil to democratic theory in the examination of institutions and processes of American government. While elite theory is wielded as a analytic model for explaining and understanding American politics, it is not presented as a recommendation or prescription for America.

The American Political Economy

The American Political Economy PDF Author: Jacob S. Hacker
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 1316516369
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 487

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Book Description
Drawing together leading scholars, the book provides a revealing new map of the US political economy in cross-national perspective.

Agendas and Instability in American Politics

Agendas and Instability in American Politics PDF Author: Frank R. Baumgartner
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 0226039536
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 368

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Book Description
When Agendas and Instability in American Politics appeared fifteen years ago, offering a profoundly original account of how policy issues rise and fall on the national agenda, the Journal of Politics predicted that it would “become a landmark study of public policy making and American politics.” That prediction proved true and, in this long-awaited second edition, Bryan Jones and Frank Baumgartner refine their influential argument and expand it to illuminate the workings of democracies beyond the United States. The authors retain all the substance of their contention that short-term, single-issue analyses cast public policy too narrowly as the result of cozy and dependable arrangements among politicians, interest groups, and the media. Jones and Baumgartner provide a different interpretation by taking the long view of several issues—including nuclear energy, urban affairs, smoking, and auto safety—to demonstrate that bursts of rapid, unpredictable policy change punctuate the patterns of stability more frequently associated with government. Featuring a new introduction and two additional chapters, this updated edition ensures that their findings will remain a touchstone of policy studies for many years to come.

Leadership in American Politics

Leadership in American Politics PDF Author: Jeffery A. Jenkins
Publisher: University Press of Kansas
ISBN: 0700625143
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 328

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Book Description
In the polarized governing environment of American politics today, the problem of leadership becomes ever more pressing and ever more vexed. What defines leadership, what determines its importance and effectiveness, and how does it differ from one sphere of influence to another: these are the questions Leadership in American Politics addresses in an effort to clarify the causes and consequences of the actions that public leaders take. The authors—prominent scholars from the major subfields of American politics—discuss the form and content of leadership in their areas of expertise across the spectrum of American government: the executive, legislative, and judicial branches; political parties; interest groups; bureaucracies; the states; and foreign policymaking. Combining historical, theoretical, and empirical approaches, their essays evaluate the constraints, opportunities, and influence of leadership in each area, as well as the challenges of bridging different realms. At a time when understanding the nature and limits of leadership is more important than ever, this volume lays the groundwork for the systematic study of leadership within and across American political institutions.

American Politics

American Politics PDF Author: Jon Roper
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1780740050
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 208

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Book Description
To understand the world events today, you need to understand American politics. Exploring the principles enshrined in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, Jon Roper provides a sharp analysis of how history has shaped the way America governs itself. Examining the recent emergence of the right-wing Tea Party movement, President Obama's administration, American foreign policy, and the role of powerful lobbies, this is the perfect primer for anyone interested in the world's most powerful (and controversial) country.