New American Democracy, The

Description

• Famous, highly-respected author, Morris Fiorina, continues to helm this book.  His acclaim, exposure, and influence – bolstered by the success of his other Longman text, Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America – help to make this book one of the most prestigious American government books available.
• Numerous updates throughout the text and its visuals acquaint the reader with the latest political developments and issues.
• Updated four–color design with engaging photo captions livens the text.
• Numbered Learning Objectives appear at the beginning of each chapter; each is repeated as appropriate within the chapter and as a guide in the end-of-chapter Summary.
• Chapter-opening vignettes introduce the subject matter with high-interest issues.
• “Making the Connection” features follow each vignette, relating its themes to the chapter content and preparing students for the material to follow.
• “Election Voices” essays in every chapter present opposing viewpoints on controversial political topics – supplemented with critical thinking questions to encourage students to formulate their own opinions – constituting a “debate style reader” built into the text for free.
• “International Comparison” boxes compare elements of American Government with similar elements in other countries, putting the U.S. system in global context and giving students a better understanding of its strengths and limitations.
• “Election Connection” features illustrate the book’s focus on electoral forces and describe the relationship between elections and institutions or policies using real-life examples.
• Marginal definitions are provided for key terms that are boldfaced in the text; all appear in the end-of-book Glossary. 
• On the Web sections at the end of each chapter direct readers to Web sites where they can find more information on the topics discussed.
• Chapter Summary, Key Terms, and annotated Suggested Readings are also found at the end of each chapter.

• Save time and improve results with MyPoliSciLab for The New American Democracy, (www.mypoliscilab.com). The most popular teaching/learning solution for American government, this online application offers a unique pedagogical framework that moves students from learning concepts (Study) and seeing how they work (Apply) to appreciating the importance of politics (Participate). Redesigned from ground up and now organized by the book’s chapters and learning objectives, the new MyPoliSciLab continues to offer proven book-specific assessment and multimedia activities and is easier than ever to integrate into any course. To order this book with MyPoliSciLab at no extra charge, use ISBN 020507328X. To learn more, visit www.mypoliscilab.com.

• New and expanded election-related coverage includes, in addition to discussion of the 2010 congressional election,  gender differences in voter turnout (Ch. 6), a table on how various politically significant demographic groups have voted in recent presidential elections (Ch. 8), the political implications of the entertainment media (Ch. 9), the role of the invisible primary (Ch. 10), the state of the economy as a performance issue (Ch.10), and what difference presidential campaigns make (Ch. 10).
• Learning Objectives now appear at the beginning of each chapter; each is repeated as appropriate within the chapter and as a guide in the end-of-chapter Summary. The Objectives are associated with important topics and subtopics on American politics.
• New Chapter Opener Vignettes discuss the Tea Party movement (Chapter 7); the 2008 presidential content (Chapter 8); media coverage of the 2008 primaries (Chapter 9); congressional elections and the fate of the Obama agenda (Chapter 11); the presidency as crisis management (Chapter 13); Sonia Sotomayor, the Supreme Court, and the meaning of experience (Chapter 15); healthcare reform (Chapter 18); and the impact of taxes on the American public and the economy (Chapter 19).
• Four new Election Voices essays explore whether the government should enact a nationwide civic education program (Chapter 5), partisan polarization (Chapter 8), whether serving your constituency can go too far (Chapter 11), and entitlement reform  (Chapter 18)
• The book’s already superior graphs and charts are now enhanced in four colors for easier understanding and visual attractiveness. All continue to have instructive captions and critical thinking questions.
• New and updated topics include the impact of the stimulus bill on state and local governments (Chapter 3), immigration (Chapter 4); public opinion on terrorism (Chapter 5);  new forms of voter mobilization (Chapter 6), the new and ever-changing media environment (Chapter 9), the modern caucus and primary system (Chapter 10), health care and entitlement policy (Chapter 18), governance in a time of fiscal constraint (Chapter 19) and counterinsurgency (Chapter 20).
• “International Comparison” boxes compare elements of American Government with similar elements in other countries, putting the U.S. system in global context and giving students a better understanding of its strengths and limitations.
• MyPoliSciLab, Pearson’s interactive Web site that contains an array of  multimedia activities — videos, simulations, exercises, and online newsfeeds — has been completely integrated with this edition to make learning more effective.

I. THE FOUNDATIONS OF A NEW AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.

1. Democracy in the United States.

2. Establishing a Constitutional Democracy.

3. Federalism: Division of Power Among National, State, and Local Governments.

4. American Political Culture

II. THE INGREDIENTS OF THE NEW AMERICAN DEMOCRACY.

5. Public Opinion.

6. Individual Participation.

7. Interest-Group Participation in American Democracy.

8. Political Parties.

9. The Media.

III. CAMPAIGNS AND ELECTIONS.

10. Electing the President.

11. Choosing the Congress.

IV. THE GOVERNMENT.

12. The Congress and Its Work.

13. The Presidency: Powers and Practice.

14. The Bureaucracy.

15. The Courts.

V. CIVIL LIBERTIES AND CIVIL RIGHTS.

16. Civil Liberties.

17. Civil Rights.

VI. PUBLIC POLICY.

18. Domestic Policy.

19. Economic Policy.

20. Foreign and Defense Policy.

Updated in a new 7^th edition, The New American Democracy offers a stimulating, analytical approach to American government and a unique perspective on contemporary politics with an emphasis on elections and their importance in the American political system. The authors — among the most well-known and well-respected scholars working in political science today –propose in their text that politicians today are perpetually engaged in the election process—a “permanent campaign”—which has profoundly affected how our government functions today.

The New American Democracy, 7th ed., offers a stimulating, analytical approach to American government and a unique perspective on contemporary politics with an emphasis on elections and their importance in the American political system.

 

The authors — among the most well-known and well-respected scholars working in political science today –propose in their text that politicians today are perpetually engaged in the election process—a “permanent campaign”—which has profoundly affected how our government functions today.  The proliferation of public opinion polls, the growing influence of the Internet, the ubiquitous nature of the news media, and the increasingly important role of interest groups–all demonstrate that America is moving toward a more popular democracy and have blurred the lines between politicians campaigning and governing.