Highlights
An Analytic Narrative Integrating the Five Principles of Politics
American Government: Power and Purpose reflects the philosophy that the best way to understand the system of American government is by looking at political institutions (Principle 3). Through historical accounts of significant events, the authors analyze the individual choices of political actors (Principle 1) and the conflict and compromise that inevitably accompany collective decision-making (Principle 2). This analysis explains political outcomes such as policy decisions, but also clarifies how and why political institutions change (Principle 4). The authors use history to lend a narrative flow and cohesiveness to the text, making specific political events easier to understand by placing them against a larger historical canvas (Principle 5).
More Pedagogy, Less Bulk
- "Chapter Outline" and "Previewing the Principles"—In the Eighth Edition, two new pedagogical features preface each chapter. The "Chapter Outline" prepares students for the chapter by previewing its central questions and topics. The "Previewing the Principles" section reminds students of the text’s analytical framework and shows how it will be applied to that chapter’s material.
- Less is more—All inessential or outmoded historical sections and commentary have been pared away for this edition. The result is a distilled, more tightly focused treatment of the principles of American politics and government.
New Applications of the Five Principles of Politics
Preserving the mode of analysis provided by the five Principles of Politics, the Eighth Edition adds new applications of these principles that prompt students to use them as they study American government:
- "Applying the Five Principles of Politics" boxed case studies—Each chapter features a case study that moves beyond the text, applying one or more of the Principles of Politics to a central, topical question, such as "Was it rational to vote for Ralph Nader?"
- "Politics in the News: Reading Between the Lines"—These two-page spreads in each chapter show students how to apply the Principles of Politics to better interpret and understand contemporary political events reported in the news, such as the upcoming 2004 presidential election. This feature includes an excerpt from a New York Times article, a bulleted summary of the article’s pivotal issues, and a bulleted political analysis of the story using the five core principles.
- Web site exercises based on chapter-specific applications of the five core principles—Another component of active learning, these exercises enhance the "Applying the Principles of Politics" and "Politics in the News" case studies that appear in each chapter, helping students build analytical skills while demonstrating that the five Principles of Politics can be used to interpret contemporary political events.
- Playing Politics game theory-based simulations workbook—Sixteen in-class games give students a new perspective on the rationality and strategy of political choices, from creating a government to electoral representation and coalition building.
Applying the Five Principles of Politics
Applied consistently throughout the text, the Principles of Politics provide an accessible framework for analytical thinking. Each time one of the principles is used, a marginal icon reminds students of that principle, and the principles are previewed at the beginning of each chapter and reviewed in context at the end. In addition, American Government offers four unique applications to reinforce the five Principles and encourage students to use them independently:
- “Applying the Five Principles of Politics” case studies, in each chapter apply one or more of the principles to an important topical issue such as “What Motivates Judges” or “Party Polarization.”
- “Politics in the News: Reading Between the Lines,” at the end of each chapter, demonstrates how the five Principles can be used to analyze current events. This feature includes an excerpt from a New York Times article, a bulleted summary of the article’s central issues, and a political analysis using the five Principles.
- Web site exercises enlarge on the “Applying the Five Principles of Politics” and “Politics in the News” sections and challenge students to apply the Principles to a wide variety of political situations.
- The exciting games in Playing Politics reinforce core concepts by placing students in the role of political actors in diverse political scenarios.
An Analytic Narrative Integrating the Five Principles of Politics
American Government: Power and Purpose reflects the philosophy that the best way to understand systems of government is to look at political institutions (Principle 3). Through historical accounts of significant events, the authors analyze the individual choices of political actors (Principle 1) and the conflict and compromise that are part of collective decision-making (Principle 2). This analysis explains political outcomes such as policy decisions, but also clarifies how and why political institutions change (Principle 4). The authors’ judicious use of relevant history gives the text an accessible, narrative flow (Principle 5).
Meticulously Revised and Up-to-Date
Reflecting current trends in political science and with updated coverage of recent political events—including the government’s response to Hurricane Katrina, the Supreme Court nominations of John Roberts, Harriet Miers, and Samuel Alito, and the lobbying scandals in Washington—the Ninth Edition upholds American Government’s reputation as the most up-to-date undergraduate text in the field.
NEW “Analyzing the Evidence” Figure Captions
These enhanced figure captions help students understand the importance of data in political science by highlighting important “moments” in data and asking students to demonstrate that data’s relevance to the issue at hand.
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