Rent 9781405188425 | American Politics and Society

Summary Table of Contents Author Biography

American Politics and Society is a clear and concise introduction to US politics which explains, analyses, and interprets the processes of US government and, crucially, appraises them from a non-US perspective.This completely revised new edition takes in the many changes which have occurred in US politics and explores the 'political and ideological polarization' which some commentators see as a significant characteristic of US politics and society today. Engaging with such issues as the rapidly changing balance of support for the Democrats and ... MORE

Government and the People in a Polarised Society.The Chapters to Come
Beliefs, Values and American Society
Beliefs and Values: An American Ideology?
Values and American Society
Social Structure
Constitutional Government
Origins: A Unique Experiment
The American Constitution
Ratification
The Adaptive ... MORE
Federalism: The Increasing Importance of the States
Federalism in Theory and Practice
State and local government
The Evolution of American Federalism
A Changing Court Role?
The States as Policy Leaders
American Federalism and Political Polarization
The Political Parties and Ideological Polarization
The Functions of Parties
Crisis and Change in the American Party System
The resurgence of Political Parties
Explaining Party Change
A New Role for Political Parties
Elections and Political Participation
Patterns of American Electoral Behaviour
Dealignment, Realignment and the Modern American Voter:
A Divided Electorate
Further Trends in the American Electorate
The 2008 Presidential Election
Non-electoral Political Participation
The Media and American Politics
Media Organization and Structure
How Biased? The Media and the Political Agenda
Controlling the Media
The Internet Revolution
Congress and Representation
Representation and Congressional Elections
Legislators as Rational Actors
The Work of Members of Congress
Conclusions
Congress and Government: The Broken Branch?
The Functions of Congress
The Structure of Power in Congress
Congress under Fire
The Rise of Party Ideology
Reform and Change in Congress Conclusions: Can Congress Lead?
The Presidency in a Divided Society
Formal Sources of Power
Informal Powers
The Presidency in Crisis
The Presidency and Party Polarization
Presidential Abuse of Power and the Congressional Response
Presidential Resources
Assessing the Presidency: Presidential Power at Home and Abroad
Bureaucratic Power: Federal Departments and Agencies
The Federal Bureaucracy: Organization and Function
The Bureaucracy: How Uncontrollable?
The Inherent Power of Bureaucracy
A Politicized Bureaucracy?
Reform Attempts
Concluding Remarks
The Security State
The Rise of the Security State
Homeland Security
Security at and Beyond the Borders
Civil Liberties and National Security
The Security State and American Ideology
Organized Interests: the Real Power?
Interest Groups and the Privileged Position of Business
Professional Groups
Promotional Groups
Political Action Committees
The Washington Lobby
Interest Groups: For and Against
The Supreme Court: A Politicized Branch?
The American Legal System
The Supreme Court: Decision-making
The Court and Political Power: Assessing the Roberts Court
Conclusions: the Court, the Public and Politics
Protecting the Environment: American Ambivalence and Global Pressures
The Rise and Fall of the Federal Role
Leadership by the States
Democrats, Republicans and the Environment
The Internati
Table of Contents provided by Publisher. All Rights Reserved.

David McKay is Professor of Government at the University of Essex. He is the author of numerous books and articles on American and comparative politics, including Designing Europe: Comparative Lessons from the Federal Experience (2001, winner of the Political Studies Association WJM MacKenzie prize for the best book published in 2001). He is the co-author of The New British Politics (2007).

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