- Date: 02/12/2013
- Format: Print Paperback
- Price: $50.00
- ISBN: 978-1-45224-002-2
- Pages: 330
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Debating Reform: Conflicting Perspectives on How to Fix the American Political System, 2nd Edition
Richard J. Ellis
Michael Nelson, Rhodes College
Getting students to engage in debate always makes for a lively classroom. Yet when students only parrot partisan lines, an instructor is left to question if there is real pedagogical value in the exercise. Ellis and Nelson offer a fresh take on the traditional debate-style reader. With pieces written specifically for this volume by top scholars in the field, each pro or con essay considers a concrete proposal for reforming the political system, from making it easier to amend the Constitution to adopting compulsory voting. By focusing on institutions, rather than liberal or conservative public policies, students tend to leave behind ideology and grapple with claims and evidence to draw their own conclusions and build their own arguments. Students will explore how institutions work in their American government text, but this reader helps them to understand how they can be made to work better. NEW TO THIS EDITION: - Based on extensive feedback from adopters, Ellis and Nelson have added 10 new debate resolutions including such topics as overturning Citizens United and abolishing earmarks for special interests.
FEATURES & BENEFITS: - Brief chapter introductions provide valuable context for each of the debate resolutions.
- Contributions are written specifically for the volume: essays are both well-suited to undergraduates and are in dialogue with one another.
New to this Edition Based on extensive feedback from adopters, Ellis and Nelson have added 10 new debate resolutions including such topics as overturning Citizens United and abolishing earmarks for special interests.
1st Edition ©2010
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Table of Contents The Constitution - Resolved, Article V should be revised to make it easier to amend the Constitution and to call a
constitutional convention. - Pro: Sanford Levinson
- Con: David E. Kyvig
Federalism - Resolved, Congress should restore each state’s freedom to set its drinking age.
- Pro: John McCardell
- Con: James C. Fell
Civil Liberties - NEW! Resolved, the Constitution should be amended to overturn the Supreme Court's ruling in Citizens United.
- Pro: Jamie Raskin
- Con: John Samples
Civil Rights - NEW! Resolved, Congress should pass the Democracy Restoration Act guaranteeing the right of ex-convicts to vote in federal elections.
- Pro: Erika L. Wood
- Con: Roger Clegg
Political Participation - Resolved, the United States should adopt a national initiative and referendum.
- Pro: Todd Donovan
- Con: Richard J. Ellis
- NEW! Resolved, the United States should adopt compulsory voting.
- Pro: Martin P. Wattenberg
- Con: Jason Brennan
The Media - NEW! Resolved, Congress should bring back the fairness doctrine.
- Pro: Marjorie R. Hershey
- Con: James Gattuso
Political Parties - Resolved, political parties should nominate candidates for president in a national primary.
- Pro: Caroline J. Tolbert
- Con: David P. Redlawsk
- NEW! Resolved, states should require open primaries.
- Pro: Mark A. Siegel
- Con: Seth E. Masket
Interest Groups - NEW! Resolved, earmarks for special interests should be abolished.
- Pro: Jeffrey Lazarus
- Con: Scott A. Frisch and Sean Q. Kelly
House of Representatives - NEW! Resolved, proportional representation should be adopted for U.S. House elections.
- Pro: Douglas J. Amy
- Con: Brendan Doherty
- Resolved, the redistricting process should be nonpartisan.
- Pro: Elaine Kamarck
- Con: Justin Buchler
Senate - Resolved, the Senate should represent people not states.
- Pro: Bruce I. Oppenheimer
- Con: John J. Pitney, Jr.
- Resolved, Senate Rule XXII should be amended so that filibusters can be ended by a majority vote.
- Pro: Steven S. Smith
- Con: Wendy J. Schiller
Presidency - NEW! Resolved, the electoral college should be abolished.
- Pro: George C. Edwards III
- Con: Gary L. Gregg
- Resolved, the president should be granted a line item veto.
- Pro: Michael Nelson
- Con: Robert J. Spitzer
Bureaucracy - NEW! Resolved, bring back the spoils system.
- Pro: Domonic A. Bearfield
- Con: Marissa Martino Golden
Judiciary - Resolved, the terms of Supreme Court justices should be limited to 18 years.
- Pro: David Karol
- Con: Ward Farnsworth
Domestic and Budgetary Policy - NEW! Resolved, the United States should adopt a Balance Budget Amendment
- Pro: David M. Primo
- Con: John B. Gilmour
Foreign and Defense Policy - Resolved, Congress should pass the War Powers Consultation Act.
- Pro: Nancy Kassop
- Con: William G. Howell
Reviews “Debating Reform does a good job of introducing students to the idea that institutions are choices and that institutional choices shape political outcomes. I like this as an alternative to the usual debate books, as institutional design is a key focus in my class.” - Mack Mariani, Xavier University“The book is an excellent addition to the introductory American politics course. It covers a wide range of issues that provide focal points for class discussion, and it facilitates in-depth consideration of how institutional frameworks affect outcomes. In the past, I've usually been unimpressed by readers that take a pro/con approach since they tend to oversimplify complex issues. The selections in the Ellis and Nelson book generally avoid this oversimplification, and the competing perspectives encourage students to think about how both current rules and potential reforms would affect incentives and choices. It has been a productive tool for starting class discussion, for short writing assignments, and as a starting point for a larger research paper that I assign.” - Scott Meinke, Bucknell University“Debating Reform is an outstanding text. It triggers debate on some of the most important issues surrounding the structure of our government. I like how it includes a brief explanation of the issue's background and then includes two well written essays offering a compelling arguments on both sides of the issues. The collection of authors is an esteemed cast of scholars well versed in their particular subject. The students have responded very positively to this book. It provides great topics for discussion on a weekly basis.” - Brian Frederick, Bridgewater State University
Bio(s)
Richard J. Ellis Richard J. Ellis is the Mark O. Hatfield Professor of Politics at Willamette University. Among his recent books are Presidential Travel: The Journey from George Washington to George W. Bush and To the Flag: The Unlikely History of the Pledge of Allegiance. In 2008 he was named the Carnegie Foundation for Advancement of Teaching Oregon Professor of the Year. Michael Nelson, Rhodes College Michael Nelson is the Fulmer Professor of Political Science at Rhodes College and a Senior Fellow of the Miller Center of Public Affairs at the University of Virginia. His recent books include: The Presidency and the Political System, 9th Ed., The Evolving Presidency: Landmark Documents, 1787-2010, 4th Ed., and The Elections of 2008. More than fifty of his articles have been reprinted in anthologies of political science, history, music, and English composition, including articles on subjects as varied as baseball, C. S. Lewis, and Frank Sinatra.
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