American Politics and Society (CourseSmart)

by David Mc Kay (Author)

• Used

  Paperback
  2009

  $3.26

  A fresh and updated look at the social background to American political and economic life, the institutions and processes of government, and the most recent and dramatic events in the political arena. Fully updated to take into account the many political changes of the past four years and includes new chapters on environmental politics and the presidency Includes commentary of the 2008 presidential election, with the historic election of Barack Obama, and issues such as the changing balance of support for the Democrats and Republicans and the recent decline in the global reputation of the United States Student friendly style and design, with illustrations throughout Uses common examples across chapters Includes a range of pedagogical features, including definition boxes, biographies, chronologies, and more controversies than before

• Used

  Paperback
  1993

  $3.26

  Completely revised and updated to take full account of the 1992 Presidential Election which swept Bill Clinton to the Oval office, this new edition of American Politics and Society provides an introduction to US politics for all students of political science. It explains, analyzes and interprets the processes of US government - and, appraises them from a non-US perspective. McKay fills in the social background to American political and economic life, preparing the ground for the central discussion of the book: the institutions of the US state. Congress, the Supreme Court and the Constitution, the federal government, the Presidency, the party bandwagons and electoral circuses - all are carefully analyzed in turn. Their significance for the way America is governed is evaluated. McKay guides the reader through the jungle of the federal bureaucracy, and assesses the power of interest groups. He discusses in detail how US policy is formulated in the critical areas of urban policy, economic management and foreign affairs. Throughout, he provides an up-to-date survey of the views and criticisms of leading political commentators on the American scene.