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Author: Samuel Kernell
Publisher: C Q Press College
ISBN: 9780872893535
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 0
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Book Description
This is a shrink-wrapped, discounted packaged for the introduction to American government course. The books included are: Kernell and Jacobson's 'The Logic of American Politics, 3rd ed.'; Kernell and Smith's 'Principles and Practice of American Politics, 3rd ed.'
Author: Samuel Kernell
Publisher: C Q Press College
ISBN: 9780872893535
Category : United States
Languages : en
Pages : 0
Get Book Here
Book Description
This is a shrink-wrapped, discounted packaged for the introduction to American government course. The books included are: Kernell and Jacobson's 'The Logic of American Politics, 3rd ed.'; Kernell and Smith's 'Principles and Practice of American Politics, 3rd ed.'
Author: Samuel Kernell
Publisher: CQ Press
ISBN: 9780872899049
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 583
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Book Description
Novices to the study of politics find the American political system complicated, even mystifying or infuriating. They may have strongly held opinions on a number of political issues, but no systematic way—no logic—for thinking about how and why the system works the way it does. And new to the discipline, they have no clear sense of how political scientists approach the study of government. Distinguished scholars Samuel Kernell and Gary C. Jacobson give students a powerful way to think about politics, while offering an accessible entrée into the analytic study of American government. A Logical Approach that Simplifies Conveying how the American political system is both extraordinary and complex, the authors explain in a simple and straightforward way that there is a rationale embedded in the U.S. political system. This underlying logic helps students see why political institutions are structured the way they are, and why the politicians who occupy them, and the citizens who monitor and respond to their actions, behave as they do. Why were the Framers able to create the Constitution and compromise on a system of checks and balances? The rationale behind the Framers including a Bill of Rights to the Constitution can be used to discern the reasons behind today’s members of Congress legislating intelligence reform. Institutions evolve and new political actors emerge, but the logic of the political system remains. In choosing and maintaining a democratic form of government, a nation as large and diverse as the United States faces enormous challenges. Kernell and Jacobson analyze political institutions and practices as imperfect solutions to problems facing people who need to act collectively. Throughout the text, the authors highlight these collective action problems, including the conflict over values and interests and the costs associated with finding and agreeing on a course of action. They describe how the choices made to resolve problems at one moment affect politics in the future, long after the original issues have faded. They emphasize the strategic nature of political action, from the Framers’ careful drafting of the Constitution to contemporary politicians’ strategic efforts to shape policy according to their own preferences. The logic that Kernell and Jacobson explain and use as their touchstone in every section of the text gives students an intuitive way to view all of American institutional development. Encouraging them to move beyond memorization of facts, The Logic of American Politics gets students to think through both the limits and possibilities of American politics. A Writing Style that Engages In The Logic of American Politics, Kernell and Jacobson employ a narrative style, drawing on the rich story line of American history to explain how and why our political system has developed the way it has. Core concepts are introduced in clear-cut yet engaging prose and applied to a wealth of political and real-world examples. Witty at times and fully up to date, the text features plentiful and colorful stories that illuminate and animate the subject. The authors are always aware that their audience is new to the study of political science, but believe that the American government course is the ideal time to expose students to exemplary research and writing. Features that Count The intelligible logic of American politics is analyzed further in three sets of thematic boxes that appear throughout the text: Logic of Politics boxes dissect the design of various political institutions in light of the objectives they were intended to achieve. In the Civil Liberties chapter, for example, a box examines how governments crack down on dissent in wartime. Strategy and Choice boxes show how officeholders and those seeking to influence them employ institutions to advance their goals. For example, a box in the Bureaucracy chapter describes how defense contractor Rockwell maintained support for the B-1 bomber by subcontracting the work across hundreds of congressional districts. Politics to Policy boxes highlight how public policies reflect the institutions that produce them and evaluate institutional capacity to solve the nation’s problems. “Pollution Knows No Borders” in the Federalism chapter, for instance, looks at the necessity of national regulation of air quality. Additional Pedagogy that Aids in Critical Thinking Thematic questions at the beginning of each chapter serve both to preview important themes and to get students thinking critically. A few examples include: Congressional incumbents rarely lose elections. Why then are they obsessed with the electoral implications of nearly everything they do? Or, why does a nation as diverse as the United States sustain only two major political parties? And, does America’s constitutional system impede or promote the cause of civil rights? Tightly woven vignettes open each chapter, telling a great story while imparting important points about how the book’s approach relates to chapter material. For example, the rush of organized interests to reframe their groups’ interests in light of the 9/11 terrorist attacks to better take advantage of government funding sets the stage for the Interest Groups chapter. Abundant graphics—tables, figures, charts, photographs, illustrations, and cartoons—thoroughly updated for the third edition, illustrate and expand textual material while elegantly displaying an array of important data. Richly written by the authors, captions exemplify both points of discussion and thematic concepts. Key terms are defined in boldface on first use, summarized at chapter end (with page numbers), and defined in a glossary at the back of the book. Useful review aids, many new to this edition, conclude each chapter. Annotated suggested reading lists, ideas for relevant films and novels relating to chapter material, and a sampling of learning and study features that can be used on the accompanying Logic website such as review questions and exercises, give students many ways to review and study. Revisions that Enhance All chapters include new material that updates and thoroughly freshens up content and coverage. Readers will appreciate crisp and pointed treatment of policy changes and political developments of the Bush Administration as well as analysis of the recent campaigns and elections of 2004. Plus the far-reaching implications of actions taken in response to 9/11, including bureaucratic and intelligence reorganization and civil rights and liberties controversies, are given measured scrutiny and examination. In addition to comprehensive updating, the authors have reorganized sections to improve flow and include new headings to offer students additional signposts that further highlight key ideas and themes. Most importantly, the authors spend more time in the introduction explaining such foundational concepts as prisoner’s dilemma, coordination, free riding, and principal-agency. The authors walk students through a greater number of political examples to ensure that students can comfortably apply collective action themes to topical chapters. As well, they discuss at greater length how concepts link to one another so students can see how each concept is a distinct and important part of this systematic way of thinking.
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.
Author: Thomas Ferguson
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 022616201X
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 439
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Book Description
"To discover who rules, follow the gold." This is the argument of Golden Rule, a provocative, pungent history of modern American politics. Although the role big money plays in defining political outcomes has long been obvious to ordinary Americans, most pundits and scholars have virtually dismissed this assumption. Even in light of skyrocketing campaign costs, the belief that major financial interests primarily determine who parties nominate and where they stand on the issues—that, in effect, Democrats and Republicans are merely the left and right wings of the "Property Party"—has been ignored by most political scientists. Offering evidence ranging from the nineteenth century to the 1994 mid-term elections, Golden Rule shows that voters are "right on the money." Thomas Ferguson breaks completely with traditional voter centered accounts of party politics. In its place he outlines an "investment approach," in which powerful investors, not unorganized voters, dominate campaigns and elections. Because businesses "invest" in political parties and their candidates, changes in industrial structures—between large firms and sectors—can alter the agenda of party politics and the shape of public policy. Golden Rule presents revised versions of widely read essays in which Ferguson advanced and tested his theory, including his seminal study of the role played by capital intensive multinationals and international financiers in the New Deal. The chapter "Studies in Money Driven Politics" brings this aspect of American politics into better focus, along with other studies of Federal Reserve policy making and campaign finance in the 1936 election. Ferguson analyzes how a changing world economy and other social developments broke up the New Deal system in our own time, through careful studies of the 1988 and 1992 elections. The essay on 1992 contains an extended analysis of the emergence of the Clinton coalition and Ross Perot's dramatic independent insurgency. A postscript on the 1994 elections demonstrates the controlling impact of money on several key campaigns. This controversial work by a theorist of money and politics in the U.S. relates to issues in campaign finance reform, PACs, policymaking, public financing, and how today's elections work.
Author: Samuel Kernell
Publisher: SAGE
ISBN: 1452226288
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 753
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Book Description
This collection examines the strategic behavior of key players in American politics from the Founding Fathers to the Super PACs, by showing that political actors, though motivated by their own interests, are governed by the Constitution, the law, and institutional rules, as well as influenced by the strategies of others.
Author: Samuel Kernell
Publisher: C Q Press College
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 608
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Book Description
For all their complexity, there is a logic and rationale embedded in American institutions and political processes. The Logic of American Politics is a refreshingly accessible and engaging book that explores this underlying logic and leads readers toward a more nuanced and sophisticated understanding of American government. The Logic of American Politics poses many provocative questions that encourage readers to think critically and actively about our system of government. For example, why do so many citizens fail to exercise their cherished right to vote? Or, why don't we do more to stop pollution from cars, since we all agree on what causes it and how harmful it is? The Logic of American Politics covers all the important topics from constitutional development to governmental institutions to political processes. The book is written as a narrative but is designed for easy reference. The text is supplemented by abundant illustrations throughout: tables, figures, maps, cartoons, and photos.
Author: Matthew Kroenig
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0190849185
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 281
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Book Description
For decades, the reigning scholarly wisdom about nuclear weapons policy has been that the United States only needs the ability to absorb an enemy nuclear attack and still be able to respond with a devastating counterattack. So long as the US, or any other nation, retains such an assured retaliation capability, no sane leader would intentionally launch a nuclear attack against it, and nuclear deterrence will hold. According to this theory, possessing more weapons than necessary for a second-strike capability is illogical. This argument is reasonable, but, when compared to the empirical record, it raises an important puzzle. Empirically, we see that the United States has always maintained a nuclear posture that is much more robust than a mere second-strike capability. In The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy, Matthew Kroenig challenges the conventional wisdom and explains why a robust nuclear posture, above and beyond a mere second-strike capability, contributes to a state's national security goals. In fact, when a state has a robust nuclear weapons force, such a capability reduces its expected costs in a war, provides it with bargaining leverage, and ultimately enhances nuclear deterrence. This book provides a novel theoretical explanation for why military nuclear advantages translate into geopolitical advantages. In so doing, it helps resolve one of the most-intractable puzzles in international security studies. Buoyed by an innovative thesis and a vast array of historical and quantitative evidence, The Logic of American Nuclear Strategy will force scholars to reconsider their basic assumptions about the logic of nuclear deterrence.
Author: Richard Hofstadter
Publisher: Vintage
ISBN: 0307388441
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 370
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Book Description
This timely reissue of Richard Hofstadter's classic work on the fringe groups that influence American electoral politics offers an invaluable perspective on contemporary domestic affairs.In The Paranoid Style in American Politics, acclaimed historian Richard Hofstadter examines the competing forces in American political discourse and how fringe groups can influence — and derail — the larger agendas of a political party. He investigates the politics of the irrational, shedding light on how the behavior of individuals can seem out of proportion with actual political issues, and how such behavior impacts larger groups. With such other classic essays as “Free Silver and the Mind of 'Coin' Harvey” and “What Happened to the Antitrust Movement?, ” The Paranoid Style in American Politics remains both a seminal text of political history and a vital analysis of the ways in which political groups function in the United States.
Author: D. Roderick Kiewiet
Publisher: University of Chicago Press
ISBN: 9780226435299
Category : Business & Economics
Languages : en
Pages : 312
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Book Description
Why do majority congressional parties seem unable to act as an effective policy-making force? They routinely delegate their power to others—internally to standing committees and subcommittees within each chamber, externally to the president and to the bureaucracy. Conventional wisdom in political science insists that such delegation leads inevitably to abdication—usually by degrees, sometimes precipitously, but always completely. In The Logic of Delegation, however, D. Roderick Kiewiet and Mathew D. McCubbins persuasively argue that political scientists have paid far too much attention to what congressional parties can't do. The authors draw on economic and management theory to demonstrate that the effectiveness of delegation is determined not by how much authority is delegated but rather by how well it is delegated. In the context of the appropriations process, the authors show how congressional parties employ committees, subcommittees, and executive agencies to accomplish policy goals. This innovative study will force a complete rethinking of classic issues in American politics: the "autonomy" of congressional committees; the reality of runaway federal bureaucracy; and the supposed dominance of the presidency in legislative-executive relations.
Author: Gladys I. McCormick
Publisher: UNC Press Books
ISBN: 1469627752
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 301
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Book Description
In this political history of twentieth-century Mexico, Gladys McCormick argues that the key to understanding the immense power of the long-ruling Partido Revolucionario Institucional (PRI) is to be found in the countryside. Using newly available sources, including declassified secret police files and oral histories, McCormick looks at large-scale sugar cooperatives in Morelos and Puebla, two major agricultural regions that serve as microcosms of events across the nation. She argues that Mexico's rural peoples, despite shouldering much of the financial burden of modernization policies, formed the PRI regime's most fervent base of support. McCormick demonstrates how the PRI exploited this support, using key parts of the countryside to test and refine instruments of control--including the regulation of protest, manipulation of collective memories of rural communities, and selective application of violence against critics--that it later employed in other areas, both rural and urban. With three peasant leaders, brothers named Ruben, Porfirio, and Antonio Jaramillo, at the heart of her story, McCormick draws a capacious picture of peasant activism, disillusion, and compromise in state formation, revealing the basis for an enduring political culture dominated by the PRI. On a broader level, McCormick demonstrates the connections among modern state building in Latin America, the consolidation of new forms of authoritarian rule, and the deployment of violence on all sides.
