William Hudson’s critical and provocative text urges students not just to think about how American democracy functions, but also to examine why American democracy has become what it is today. Hudson identifies eight major challenges to the strength of the political system, directly laying out the ways in which these developments erode the very foundations of American democracy: Does judicial activism eliminate the voice of the people in American policymaking? To what extent should Americans sacrifice their civil liberties in the interest of national security? Does the “American Dream” still exist given the degree of inequality in the United States?

Ever challenging students’ apathy or antipathy of politics, Hudson provides critical, but balanced recommendations for reform, while emphasizing that the strength of the U.S. political system rests on the ability to respond successfully to these pressing issues. Important new coverage in this fifth edition includes:

• The disparity between low- and high-income residents of the Gulf Coast that was thrown into vivid relief after Hurricane Katrina, revealing deeply embedded social, economic, and political inequality in the United States.
• Judicial appointment politics that allow the president to promote ideological values in an undemocratic manner.
• Stunted “sound bite” media coverage and candidate-centered campaigning that discourage Americans from deliberating and exercising their voices on national policy concerns.
• The Bush administration’s approaches to fighting terror and upholding democracy in the world that may, in fact, jeopardize democratic values.

Chapters end with Thought Questions, Suggestions for Further Reading, and Selected Websites.

Tables, Figures, and Boxes
Preface

Introduction: Models of Democracy
Precursors to Modern Democratic Theory
Protective Democracy
Developmental Democracy
Pluralist Democracy
Participatory Democracy
The Models Compared

1. The First Challenge: Separation of Powers
The Founders’ Work
The Jeffersonian Model
The Separation of Powers and Democratic Values
The Parliamentary Alternative
Meeting the Challenge: Bridging the Separation of Powers

2. The Second Challenge: The Imperial Judiciary
The Least Democratic Branch
A Brief History of Judicial Review
Two Cases of Judicial Usurpation
Can Judicial Review Be Made Consistent with Democracy?
The Judicialization of American Politics as a Challenge to Democracy
Meeting the Challenge: Revitalize American Democracy

3. The Third Challenge: Radical Individualism
Individualism in the American Tradition
American “Habits of the Heart”
The Flaws of Libertarianism
Our Pathological Politics of Rights and Interests
The Failed Opportunity to Build Community after 9/11
Meeting the Challenge: Balance Rights with Responsibilities

4. The Fourth Challenge: Citizen Participation
Citizen Participation and Democratic Theory
Citizen Political Participation
Signs of Civic Disengagement
The New Citizen Activism
Participation as a Challenge to Democracy
Meeting the Challenge: More, Not Less, Participation

5. The Fifth Challenge: Trivialized Elections
Equal Representation
Deliberation
Control
Meeting the Challenge: Reform Electoral Institutions, Promote Democratic Deliberation

6. The Sixth Challenge: The “Privileged Position” of Business
American Politics as Pluralist Heaven
Business: The “Privileged” Group
Why Business Privilege Is a Threat to Democracy
Objections to the Privileged-Position-of-Business Thesis
Meeting the Challenge: Democratic Action to Reduce Business Privilege

7. The Seventh Challenge: Inequality
Equality and Democratic Theory
The End of the American Dream?
The Persistence of Racial Inequality
Economic Inequality’s Challenge to Democracy
Meeting the Challenge: Policies to Promote Equality

8. The Eighth Challenge: The National Security State
A Brief History of the National Security State
Secrecy
Centralization
Repression
Distortion
Meeting the Challenge: Reform to Achieve True Security

Notes
Index

“William Hudson’s book is a masterpiece. I have never assigned a book to any of my political science classes that has generated more thoughtful debate than his American Democracy in Peril—particularly his discussion of the growing inequality in our society, the way in which allegiance to ‘individual liberty’ trumps all other values, and Big Money's stranglehold on our electoral processes. I think this is one of the most outstanding and important books available for anyone concerned with the state of our country.”

- Elizabeth Hull, Rutgers University-Newark

"Instructors in introductory classes in American politics and public affairs will serve their students judiciously by incorporating this book into their courses. William Hudson's ideas encourage students to think critically and analytically about the American republic and to not take democracy for granted. As such, his eight challenges elicit a dynamic class discussion, which reinforces the substantive notion that none of us should take a passive approach to democratic citizenship."

- Brian L. Fife, Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne

"For a number of years, I have assigned William Hudson's American Democracy in Peril to my students. It asks important questions and stimulates students to think hard and critically and to propose solutions to complex political problems. It is simply first-rate. The new edition, with its increased focus on deepening inequality and the consequences of that inequality on American democracy, is particularly timely and impressive."

- Ira Harkavy, University of Pennsylvania

William E. Hudson is professor of political science at Providence College. He is the author of The Libertarian Illusion, American Democracy in Peril, 5th Edition, and Experiencing Citizenship: Concepts and Models for Service-Learning in Political Science (with Richard Battistoni). Hudson has published numerous articles on public policy issues in journals such as Political Science Quarterly, Polity, Western Political Quarterly, Economic Development Quarterly, and Policy Studies Journal.

One challenge has been fully answered to…
Test questions and PowerPoint slides now available!
Created by Mark Jendrysik at the University of North Dakota, these resources will significantly reduce your prep time. Over 100 test items include multiple choice, short answer, and essay questions, and more than 40 adaptable lecture slides will help you direct students to the core ideas and critical analysis of American Democracy in Peril.

E-mail collegesales@cqpress.com for more information.