Essentials of American Politics / McKay, David H.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

McKay, David H.

Contributor:

McKay, David.

Series:

Essentials of political science Essentials of American government

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States--Politics and government.

United States.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (xxi, 425 pages) : illustrations

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

[Place of publication not identified] Routledge, 2000.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

An undergraduate text, this work takes as its central theme the increasing tension in American politics between a general philosophy of limited government and particular public demands for more and better government programmes and services.

Contents:

Cover

Half Title

Title

Copyright

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Acknowledgments

1 Limited Government in the Age of High Expectations

2 Beliefs, Values, and American Society

The Nature of American Beliefs and Values

Values and American Society

Notes

Further Reading

3 Constitutional Government

Origins

The American Constitution

Ratification

The Adaptive Constitution

Assessing the Constitution

4 Federalism and Intergovernmental Relations

Federalism in Theory and Practice

The Evolution of American Federalism

Fiscal Federalism: The Rise and Fall of the Federal Role

A Changing Court Role?

The Pressure for National Standards

American Federalism and Public Expectations

5 American Political Parties in Transition

The Functions of Parties

Crisis and Change in the American Party System

Party Decline?

Explaining Party Change

Toward the Millennium: A New Role for Political Parties

6 Political Participation and Electoral Behavior

Patterns of American Electoral Behavior

Dealignment, Realignment, and the Modern American Voter

Nonelectoral Political Participation

7 U.S. Legislators and Their Constituents

Representation and Congress

Congressional Elections

Legislators as Rational Actors

The Work of Members of Congress

Conclusion

8 Congress as Policymaker

Functions of Congress

Structure of Power in Congress

Congress Under Fire

Reform and Change in Congress

Conclusion: Can Congress Lead?

9 Presidential Power

Formal Sources of Power

Informal Powers

The Presidency in Crisis

Presidential Abuse of Power and the Congressional Response.

Presidential Resources

Assessing Presidential Power at Century's End

10 The Federal Bureaucracy

The Federal Bureaucracy: Organization and Function

The Bureaucracy: How Uncontrollable?

Bureaucratic Critiques in Perspective

Reform Attempts

11 Organized Interests: The Real Power?

Interest Groups and Lobbyists

Economic Groups

Professional Groups

Promotional Groups

Political Action Committees

The Washington Lobby

Interest Groups: For and Against

12 The Supreme Court and Judicial Politics

The American Legal System

The Supreme Court's Decisionmaking

The Court and Political Power

The Court, the Public, and Politics

13 Regulating Morality-Civil Rights, Liberties, and the Conscience Issues

Overview of Morality Issues

Civil Liberties

Equality and Civil Rights

14 Social Policy in America-Self-Reliance and State Dependence

Federalism

Social Security, Medicare, and the Electoral Connection

Philosophy of Self-Reliance

Health Care Reforms

15 Managing Economic Change

State and Economy in the United States

Ideology and Economic Policy

Institutions and Economic Policy

Economic Policy and Public Expectations

16 The American World Role

The Institutional Context

American Foreign Policy in the Post-Cold War World

17 The American Political System at Century's End

Assessing the American Polity

Reform and Renewal

Appendix: The Constitution of the United States of America

Index.

Notes:

Title from content provider.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Description based on print version record.

Description based on publisher supplied metadata and other sources.

ISBN:

0-429-98038-8

0-429-50075-0

1-4294-8801-8

9780429500756

OCLC:

1091762999