Developments in American Politics (Paperback, 3rd Revised edition)

This text offers a timely, comprehensive, and thought-provoking assessment of government, politics, and policy in the United States. Written by a new, international team of leading scholars and focused on the trends of the 1990s, this book sets the scene for a thorough understanding of American politics into the new century. Part One concentrates on the institutional framework of American government; Part Two examines the parties, pressure groups, and electoral system and the ways in which these dynamic forces channel public opinion and shape the political agenda; Part Three surveys both the substance and the process of public policy in three key areas -- the economy, social policy, and foreign policy; Part Four provides brief overviews of some issues of contemporary political controversy -- affirmative action, campaign finance reform, the role of the media, education, and city governance; Part Five assesses the state of American politics at the century's end.