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The Logic of American Politics
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The Logic of American Politics

Eleventh Edition
Available with:


May 2023 | 816 pages | CQ Press
Why does the American political system work the way it does?

After observing the strains of intense partisanship and divided government, many Americans are wondering what logic, if any, can be found in politics. With both sides of the political spectrum being so different from one another and the scales often tipping in the favor of the opposing party by a fraction of a percentage point, how can anyone work the system to their advantage?

With fresh analysis of the 2022 midterm election results, the Eleventh Edition of bestselling textbook The Logic of American Politics provides students with the tools they need to make sense of our government today. Weaving together historical context, contemporary politics, and a "toolkit" of institutional design concepts, the authors build an understanding of political institutions and practices as imperfect solutions to collective action problems.

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Preface
 
Acknowledgments
 
A Note to Students
 
Chapter 1. The Logic of American Politics
 
Part I. The Nationalization of Politics
 
Chapter 2. The Constitution
 
Chapter 3. Federalism
 
Chapter 4. Civil Rights
 
Chapter 5. Civil Liberties
 
Part II. The Institutions of Government
 
Chapter 6. Congress
 
Chapter 7. The Presidency
 
Chapter 8. The Bureaucracy
 
Chapter 9. The Federal Judiciary
 
Part III. The Public’s Influence on National Policy
 
Chapter 10. Public Opinion
 
Chapter 11. Voting, Campaigns, and Elections
 
Chapter 12. Political Parties
 
Chapter 13. Interest Groups
 
Chapter 14. Media
 
Part IV. Conclusion
 
Chapter 15. Is There a Logic to American Policy?
 
Reference Material
 
Glossary
 
Notes
 
Index
 
About the Authors

Supplements

Instructor Resource Site
For additional information, custom options, or to request a personalized walkthrough of these resources, please contact your sales representative.

LMS cartridge included with this title for use in Blackboard, Canvas, Brightspace by Desire2Learn (D2L), and Moodle

The LMS cartridge makes it easy to import this title's instructor resources into your learning management system (LMS). These resources include:
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  • All tables and figures from the textbook
Don't use an LMS platform?

You can still access the online resources for this title via the password-protected Instructor Resource Site.

“I have been a fan of The Logic of American Politics for many years. It has managed to nimbly stay on top of the everchanging world of American politics. The textbook seamlessly mixes in fundamental truths of the discipline with contemporary references to recent changes. Lively prose is combined with innovative and cleverly presented data analysis to produce a work that challenges my students but does not go over their heads. It reinforces the connections I try to make between my students’ everyday lives and the political world around them. This is simply an outstanding text for those teaching an introductory class in American government.”

Marty Cohen
James Madison University

“I’ve been using The Logic of American Politics for more than a decade because it checks all the boxes for a textbook: comprehensive coverage of the major parts of American government; a theme that helps students see connections among various aspects of politics; and timely updates that keep the content fresh. This is the best book on the market.”

Danny Hayes
George Washington University

The Logic of American Politics offers a fresh perspective into the American system of government—one rooted in collective action problems in politics and how government institutions solve and create them.

For its theoretically informed approach based primarily on the “new institutionalist” tradition, the authors use highly accessible language throughout the text. They have always updated it with timely discussions to connect concepts and theories to events hot to the touch like government responses to the Covid-19 pandemic. Often presented in “Strategy and Choice” and “Politics to Policy” boxes throughout the text, these discussions provide informative and absorbing illustrations for the logic behind political institutions and processes.

I have assigned this text for my “Introduction to American Government” course. It has noticeably challenged—and enabled—my students to analyze the politics in their lives and on the news through a powerful critical lens.”

Huchen Liu
University of Nebraska Omaha

The Logic of American Politics offers the best theoretically driven understanding of American politics for undergraduates; I’ve used it for nearly twenty years at a variety of institutions. It goes far beyond simple civics to teach students how to think like a political scientist. It explains historical and contemporary political patterns through concepts like collective action, delegation, and agenda control while remaining accessible for even first-year college students.”

Jessica Trounstine
University of California Merced

The Logic of American Politics is a consistently valuable resource for any educator hoping to explain the seemingly illogical elements of American Politics. The format of the textbook spans all major substantive areas of American Politics, including foundational elements, institutions, public opinion, and policy-making, while incorporating current political issues and examples throughout the text. The “Politics to Policy” feature is particularly helpful to understand the political rationale behind significant policies, and tangibly link theory to outcomes.”

Shannon McQueen
West Chester University

“Any political system can be evaluated in terms of its durability, whether it resolves collective action problems, solves the tragedy of the commons, protects individual freedom and ensures equity. The wonderful thing about The Logic of American Politics is that it helps students both understand this and then evaluate the American political system on these terms. It is a great textbook for those who want to think critically about politics in the United States.”

Forrest Maltzman
George Washington University

"The Logic of American Politics is a terrifically rich summation of our knowledge in this particular area; more importantly, it is a masterfully articulated blueprint for how to think about politics in general. In my opinion, there is not a more potent exposition of the current theories and empirical evidence in political science. For that reason, I not only assign this book to undergraduate students, but also in many of my PhD courses to give young scholars a foundation for doing original research in the field."

Nate Monroe
University of California Merced

11th ed we use 10th Good book

Will use in Fall want a hard copy too

Professor Robert Milstein
English Communications Dept, East-West University
April 20, 2023
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Key features
NEW TO THIS EDITION:
  • The new edition is available in SAGE Vantage, an intuitive learning platform that integrates quality SAGE textbook content with assignable multimedia activities and auto-graded assessments to drive student engagement and ensure accountability. Unparalleled in its ease of use and built for dynamic teaching and learning, Vantage offers customizable LMS integration and best-in-class support. Learn more.
  • Up-to-date 2022 election coverage and analysis—particularly in the chapters on Congress, the presidency, and political parties—provides students with an up-to-date understanding of the results of the 2022 midterm elections.
  • An increased emphasis on the collective action framework strengthens the authors approach of helping students to better understand the material.
  • For a more detailed list of updates, please contact your SAGE sales rep.
KEY FEATURES:
  • This text arms students with a "toolkit" of institutional design concepts—command, veto, agenda control, voting rules, and delegation—that help them comprehend how the American political system was designed and why it works the way it does.
  • A set of robust pedagogical features strengthens the book’s analytic approach:
    • Chapter-opening vignettes draw students in while effectively pointing to a chapter’s main themes.
    • Logic of Politics boxes examine the design of various political institutions considering the objectives they were intended to achieve.
    • Strategy and Choice boxes show how officeholders, and those seeking to influence them, employ institutions to advance their goals.
    • Politics to Policy boxes highlight how public policies reflect the institutions that produce them and evaluate institutional capacity to solve the nation’s problems.

  • The concluding chapter on policymaking examines the noticeable logic that guides American policy. Students glean insights into the sources of policy problems, identify possible solutions, and realize why agreement on those solutions is often so hard to achieve.
  • Students are exposed to real political science in the introductory course as the authors weave in the latest research, including tables and figures to provide students with the opportunity to analyze data.
Vantage Reference: 
The Logic of American Politics- Vantage Learning Platform