The Logic of American Politics - Softcover

Kernell, Samuel H.; Jacobson, Gary C.; Kousser, Thad; Vavreck, Lynn

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1544322992 ISBN 13: 9781544322995

Publisher: CQ Press, 2019

Synopsis

Why does the American political system work the way it does?  

Find the answers in The Logic of American Politics. This best-selling text arms you with a toolkit of institutional design concepts―command, veto, agenda control, voting rules, and delegation―that help you recognize how the American political system was designed and why it works the way it does. The authors build your critical thinking through a simple yet powerful idea: politics is about solving collective action problems.  

Thoroughly updated to account for the most recent events and data, the Ninth Edition explores the increase in political polarization, the growing emotional involvement people have to politics, Americans’ reactions to changing demographics, the partisan politics of judicial selection, and the changing nature of presidential leadership. Revised to include the 2018 election results and analysis, this edition provides you with the tools you need to make sense of today’s government.

About this title

About the Author

Samuel Kernell is professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, where he has taught since 1977. Previously, he taught at the University of Mississippi and the University of Minnesota. Kernell’s research interests focus on the presidency and American political history. His previous books include Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership, 3rd edition; an edited collection of essays, James Madison: The Theory and Practice of Republican Government; and, with Gary C. Jacobson, The Logic of American Politics, 7th edition, and Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections, 2nd edition. Kernell’s most recent book, Party Ballots, Reform and the Transformation of American Politics, (2015, with Erik Engstrom), won the APSA′s David Greenstone Award for the best book in politics and history.

Review

"An excellent textbook that has a unique approach and covers the American Politics in greater depth than other textbooks." Author: Michelle Belco

"This text provides a concise framework beginning with the concept of collective action that facilitates student understanding of political development and processes in a meaningful way." Author: Laura Mayate-DeAndreis

"It’s the perfect textbook for our needs – emphasis on institutions, with a great mix of primary documents, history, and political theory. It covers all the bases – in a way that is effective for student learning (and it is fun to teach)." Author: Tracy F. Munsil

"The Logic of American Politics uses rational choice theory to provide a theoretical basis for the study of American government.  It is very good for showing students what political scientist do, and why government acts like it does." Author: Carl Snook

"It is introductory American Politics textbook covering all the main issues in American Politics. It has a good layout that can keep the student interest without getting gimmicky." Author: Roberta Adams

Edition details

• Publisher: CQ Press
• Publication date: 2019
• ISBN 10: 1544322992
• ISBN 13: 9781544322995
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 800