The Logic of American Politics, 5th Edition

The American people—and their government—are deeply at odds over how best to overcome the obstacles currently facing the country. After observing the strains of intense partisanship and divided government, your students are probably asking what logic, if any, can be found in politics. The new fifth edition of Logic reaffirms this best-seller’s place as the most accessible “smart” book on the market. Weaving together historical context, current politics, and analytic concepts, Logicbuilds students’ understanding of political institutions and practices as imperfect solutions to collective action problems.

Consistently praised for its engaging narrative, Logic hooks students with great storytelling while arming them with a “toolkit” of institutional design concepts—command, veto, agenda control, voting rules, delegation.

Walking students through examples of how each concept works, the authors also highlight passages that apply collective action themes so students cannot miss key points.

Up-to-date in its coverage of such hot-button issues as health care and financial reform, the midterm elections, and racial profiling and immigration, this fifth edition also pays special attention to political polarization. Throughout the book, the authors consistently return to the country’s divide—among constituents and in government—as they guide students through the fundamentals of American politics.

More than 100 tables, figures, and maps offer visual context to an array of political data and analysis, while over 230 carefully chosen photographs enhance the book’s examples and insights. Bolded key terms, a glossary, annotated reading lists, review questions, and a companion website help students read, think, and study.

Winning in 2012: CQ Press's Guide to the Election

Once again, CQ Press provides your students with a valuable supplement that provides an insider’s guide to the 2012 elections. Journalist and analyst Bob Benenson lays out a road map to help students understand:

• the ups and downs, ins and outs of the nomination process and the primaries;
• the key Congressional and gubernatorial contests in battleground states;
• the policy issues at play this election season—such as the economy and jobs, tax revenue versus cuts in government spending, Occupy Wall Street, the Tea Party movement, immigration, and health care; and
• how these 2012 elections fit within the context of past elections.

Winning in 2012 is the perfect jumping off point for your intro American government course—a resource students can continually refer to as they assess the candidates and make sense of the issues.

ISBN: 978-1-4522-4162-3

Format: Shrinkwrapped Pkg.

Retail Price: $96.00

Price to Bookstores: $76.80

The Logic of American Politics, 5th Edition

Up-to-date in its coverage of such hot-button issues as health care and financial reform, the midterm elections, and racial profiling and immigration, this fifth edition also pays special attention to political polarization. Throughout the book, the authors consistently return to the country’s divide—among constituents and in government—as they guide students through the fundamentals of American politics.

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1. The Logic of American Politics

Part I. The Nationalization of Politics
2. The Constitution
3. Federalism
4. Civil Rights
5. Civil Liberties

Part II. The Institutions of Government
6. Congress
7. The Presidency
8. The Bureaucracy
9. The Federal Judiciary

Part III. The Public’s Influence on National Policy
10. Public Opinion
11. Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
12. Political Parties
13. Interest Groups
14. The News Media

Part IV. Conclusion
15. The Prospects for Institutional Reform

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 books include Going Public: New Strategies of Presidential Leadership, 4th edition, Principles and Practice of American Politics: Classic and Contemporary Readings, 4th edition (edited with Steven S. Smith), an edited collection of essays, James Madison: The Theory and Practice of Republican Government, and Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections, 2nd edition.

Gary C. Jacobson is distinguished professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego, where he has taught since 1979. He previously taught at Trinity College, the University of California at Riverside, Yale University, and Stanford University. Jacobson specializes in the study of U.S. elections, parties, interest groups, and Congress. He is the author of Money in Congressional Elections, The Politics of Congressional Elections, 8th edition, The Electoral Origins of Dividend Government: Competition in the U.S.House Elections, 1946-1988, and A Divider, Not a Uniter: George W. Bush and the American People, 2nd edition, and is coauthor with Samuel Kernell of Strategy and Choice in Congressional Elections, 2nd edition. Jacobson is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences.

Thad Kousser is associate professor of political science at the University of California, San Diego and director of the California Constitutional Reform Project at Stanford University’s Lane Center for the West. He has served as a legislative aide in the California, New Mexico, and United States Senates. He is the author of Term Limits and the Dismantling of State Legislative Professionalism, which won the APSA Legislative Studies Section’s Alan Rosenthal Prize, and the co-editor of The New Political Geography of California, 10th edition. He has been awarded the UCSD Academic Senate’s Distinguished Teaching Award, and serves as co-editor of the journal State Politics and Policy Quarterly.

Bob Benenson is a veteran political analyst who wrote and edited at Congressional Quarterly in Washington, DC for 30 years. Benenson is now a freelance journalist and blogger living in Chicago.