American Government Institutions and Policies

Acclaimed for the scholarship of its prominent authors and the clarity of its narrative,American Governmentsets the standard for public policy coverage 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 end. Proven pedagogical features involve students in the material , including chapter outlines, suggested Web links for research, andHow Things Workboxes that summarize basic information and important facts. In addition, an enhanced media program helps instructors broaden the scope of teaching and takes students outside the text for additional learning. New!Components of the media package include Web resources such as primary source documents, election ads, audio clips, and interactive activities. Most of the features include related pedagogy or critical-thinking questions. New!Updates throughout the text reflect the latest scholarship and current events, including the 2004 Presidential election, and the War on Terror. New!Chapter pedagogy includesWho governs? And to What Ends?questions that open each chapter to engage students in the material, andReconsidering Who GovernsandReconsidering to What Endsat the close of the chapter to emphasize the complexity of the questions, reflect on myriad possible answers, and encourage critical thinking. New!Glossary boxes appear on pages when appropriate to define the bold terms on that pages. A complete glossary is included at the end of the text. New! Landmark Casesfeatures identify influential Supreme Court decisions in areas such as affirmative action, the media, and foreign affairs. New!The chapters on civil liberties and civil rights are now 5 and 6, respectively, at the end of Part 1. What Would You Do?boxes in relevant chapters help students act as decision makers by presenting them with a realistic domestic policy issue, which they can consider in a paper or class discussion.

The American System
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
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
Federalism 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
American Political Culture Political Culture Comparing America with Other Nations
The Sources of Political Culture Mistrust of Government Political Efficacy Political Tolerance
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
Civil Rights The Black Predicament The Campaign in the Courts
The Campaign in Congress Women and Equal Rights Affirmative Action Gays and the Constitution
Opinions, Interests, and Organizations\
Public Opinion What Is Public Opinion? Political Socialization: The Family Cleavages in Public Opinion Political Ideology Political Elites, Public Opinion, and Public Policy
Political Participation A Closer Look at Nonvoting
The Rise of the American Electorate Who Participates in Politics?
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
Elections and Campaigns Presidential Versus Congressional Campaigns Primary Versus General Campaigns Money What 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
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
Institutions of Government 13. Congress Congress Versus Parliament
The Evolution of Congress Who Is in Congress? Do Members Represent Their Voters?
Ideology and Civility in 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 Powers and Perks The Post-9/11 Congress
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?
The Bureaucracy Distinctiveness of the American Bureaucracy
The Growth of the Bureaucracy
The Federal Bureaucracy Today Congressional Oversight Bureaucratic "Pathologies" Reforming the Bureaucracy
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
The Politics of Public Policy
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
Economic Policy 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
Social Welfare Social Welfare in the United States Two Kinds of Welfare Politics
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
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
The Nature of American Democracy
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 Appendix The Declaration of Independence
The Constitution of the United States The Federalist No. 10 The Federalist No. 51 Presidents and Congresses, 1789–2006
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American Government Institutions and Policies

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