American Difference: A Guide to American Politics in Comparative Perspective - Softcover

Poloni-Staudinger, Lori M.; Wolf, Michael R.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1544325339 ISBN 13: 9781544325330

Publisher: CQ Press, 2019

Synopsis

Examining democracies from a comparative perspective helps us better understand why politics―or, as Harold Lasswell famously said, "who gets what, when, and how"―differ among democracies. American Difference: A Guide to American Politics in Comparative Perspective takes you through different aspects of democracy―political culture, institutions, interest groups, political parties, and elections―and, unlike other works, explores how the United States is both different from and similar to other democracies.  

The fully updated Second Edition has been expanded to include several new chapters and discussion on civil liberties and civil rights, constitutional arrangements, elections and electoral institutions, and electoral behavior. This edition also includes data around the 2016 general election and 2018 midterm election

About this title

About the Author:

Dr. Lori M. Poloni-Staudinger (PhD, Indiana University, 2005) is Associate Dean for research, personnel, and graduate programs in the College of Social and Behavioral Sciences and a Professor of Political Science at Northern Arizona University. Her research and publications focus on social movements, political contention and extra-institutional participation, and political institutions, mainly in Western Europe. Her recent work examines questions around women and political violence. She was a Distinguished Fulbright Fellow at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna, Austria, and has served as a consultant for the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe. She also taught at University of the Basque Country in San Sebastian, Spain. She served as treasurer, vice president and president of the Women’s Caucus for the Midwest Political Science Association. Lori is a Kettering Foundation Fellow and also serves as vice president of a school board and president of a non-profit board in Flagstaff, Arizona.

Dr. Michael R. Wolf (PhD, Indiana University, 2002) is aa professor and department chair in the Department of Political Science at Indiana University–Purdue University Fort Wayne. His research focuses on comparative and American public opinion and political behavior. He has recently published on the nature and effects of political discussion in democracies and the dynamics of political compromise and political incivility. He is a research a research fellow with the Mike Downs Center for Indiana Politics, and former Lugar Senior Fellow, 2017 Arts and Sciences Distinguished Lecturer, and partner with the Kettering Foundation.

Review:

"Most of my students assume that all democracies maintain a two-party system, a separation of powers, a federal system, and a strong tradition of freedom of speech. What they need is in [this] excellent book. It gives students a comparative perspective on what is exceptional in the American democratic design, what leads democracies to differ from and resemble one another, and how these differences and similarities affect students′ lives. I strongly recommend the authors’ approach and their book." -- Marjorie R. Hershey

"This book follows the Tocquevillian logic that the best way to understand American politics is to compare to other nations. American Difference offers a very readable and engaging introduction to what is distinct about American political institutions, culture, interest groups, and party politics―and the implications of these differences. A strong addition to any American politics course." -- Russell Dalton

About this edition

• Publisher: CQ Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1544325339
• ISBN 13: 9781544325330
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 312