American Government: Institutions and Policies » (12nd Edition)

James Q. Wilson teaches at Boston College and Pepperdine University. He is professor emeritus of Management and Public Administration at UCLA and was previously Shattuck Professor of Government at Harvard University. He has written more than a dozen books on the subjects of public policy, bureaucracy, and political philosophy. He is a past president of the American Political Science Association, and he is the only political scientist to win three of the four lifetime achievement awards presented by the APSA. He received the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian award, in 2003.

John J. DiIulio, Jr. is the Frederic Fox Leadership Professor at the University of Pennsylvania and was previously Professor of Politics and Public Affairs at Princeton University. He has written widely on public management, social policy, and nonprofit organizations. In 2000 he advised both major presidential candidates, and has served on numerous bipartisan governments reform commissions. He holds awards from the Association of Public Policy and Management and the American Political Science Association.

Meena Bose holds the Peter S. Kalikow Chair in Presidential Studies at Hofstra University and directs the Kalikow Center for the Study of the American Presidency there. She received Ph.D. (1996) from Princeton University. Dr. Bose teaches courses on the American Presidency, American Foreign Policy, and American Politics. Her current research focuses on the changing role of the United Nations in American foreign policy.

Acclaimed for the scholarship of its prominent authors and the clarity of its narrative, AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: THE ESSENTIALS preserves the structure of the main text but replaces the policy chapters with one brief chapter on the policymaking process while maintaining focus on three fundamental topics: the institutions of American government; the historical development of governmental procedures, actors, and policies; and who governs in the United States and to what ends. User involvement in the material is bolstered by proven pedagogical features such as chapter outlines, Who Governs? and To What Ends? learning objective questions framing each chapter and How Things Work boxes that summarize important facts. The significantly enhanced media package with new online tools makes the learning experience engaging and accessible.

PART I: THE AMERICAN SYSTEM. 1. The Study of American Government. 2. The Constitution. 3. Federalism. 4. American Political Culture. 5. Civil Liberties. 6. Civil Rights. PART II: OPINIONS, INTERESTS, AND ORGANIZATIONS. 7. Public Opinion. 8. Political Participation. 9. Political Parties. 10. Elections and Campaigns. 11. Interest Groups. 12. The Media. PART III: INSTITUTIONS OF GOVERNMENT. 13. Congress. 14. The Presidency. 15. The Bureaucracy. 16. The Judiciary. PART IV: THE POLITICS OF PUBLIC POLICY. 17. Politics and Public Policy.