In eight of the past dozen presidential elections, TV networks proclaimed the winner while citizens on the West Coast, Hawaii, and Alaska were still casting ballots. Is this a problem? Do media projections decrease voter turnout? Carefully examining data from every presidential election held from 1960 through 2004, William Adams definitively answers both questions. Adams employs a range of    More >

Even in local elections, money matters—but just how much? Drawing on multifaceted data from more than 700 races featuring 2,800 candidates, Brian Adams comprehensively investigates the role of money and the effects of campaign finance reforms at the local level. Adams covers mayoral and city council races across several election cycles, offering analysis of cities representing a range of    More >

How do US immigrants, who settle in places with varied political and social characteristics, find a place at the table in local politics? In particular, how do arrivals to smaller, less-established immigrant communities become politically incorporated? Drawing on rich interview data and cases from across the United States, Kristi Andersen compares communities to reveal what types of environments    More >

Homelessness once was considered an aberration. Today it is a normalized feature of US society.  It is also, argue Elizabeth Beck and Pamela Twiss, an industry: the embrace of neoliberal policies and piecemeal efforts to address the problem have ensured a steady production of homeless people, as well as a plethora of disjointed social services that often pathologize individuals instead of    More >

Conservatives and liberals agree that President Bill Clinton's effort to lift the military's gay ban was perhaps one of the greatest blunders of his tenure in office. Conservatives argue that Clinton should have left well enough alone; liberals believe that he should have ordered the military to accept homosexuals rather than agreeing to the compromise "don't ask, don't    More >

Through case studies of two prison systems—the U.S. Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Dutch prison system—Arjen Boin identifies the challenges and opportunities that confront public managers who want to reorient correctional policy and make prisons more effective. Crafting Public Institutions contrasts the two prison systems to show how focused leadership—or its    More >

The Other Elites features original essays that provide important insights for both presidential studies and the study of women in US politics. The contributors to this innovative book have two purposes: to study the career paths of women within the executive branch of US government, and to consider gender as a variable in the study of complex organizations. Using historical, comparative,    More >

Are female office holders most acceptable when they most resemble men? Why has a woman never led the Department of the Treasury, or Defense, or Veterans Affairs? Reflecting on these and similar questions, MaryAnne Borrelli explores women's selection for—and exclusion from—U.S. cabinet positions.   Borrelli considers how the rhetoric employed in the selection and confirmation    More >

From Providence, Rhode Island, to Sacramento, California, from Rockford, Illinois, to Albuquerque, New Mexico, what mayors do—and how they do it—is crucially important to sustaining and revitalizing U.S. cities. Proceeding from this premise, Governing Middle-Sized Cities presents twelve case studies of mayoral leadership and creativity. Each study provides a brief background sketch of    More >

This guided tour of the inner workings of the election campaign process demystifies the often murky world of professional politics. Offering a unique blend of theory and practice, Inside Political Campaigns draws on the experiences of political scientists who have played such key roles as campaign managers, consultants, media advisers, and even candidates. First-hand accounts of races run at    More >

New technology has offered the public the opportunity to witness police use of force far more frequently than in the past—and has brought into sharp focus a number of big questions. Where does police power to use force come from? How have the federal courts ruled on the subject?  What sort of guidelines have police departments given their officers, and are they appropriate guidelines?    More >

In the aftermath of the catastrophic attacks of September 11, 2001, President Bill Clinton's time in office was portrayed as one in which vital opportunities to confront growing threats to US security were missed. Firmly challenging this characterization, James Boys explores the long-misunderstood approach adopted by the Clinton administration as it sought to define an effective response to    More >

Despite a broad political environment conducive to deregulation, television is one industry that consistently fails to loosen government's regulatory grip. To explain why, Lori Brainard explores the technological changes, industry structures, and political dynamics influencing this policy quagmire.   Contradicting current scholarly and popular accounts, Brainard demonstrates that new    More >

James Brasfield explores the full gamut of health policy issues confronting the United States—ranging from Medicare and Medicaid, to the heated controversies surrounding health care reform, to the "sleeping giant" of long-term care. Notable features of the text include balanced discussions of: • how the real-world policy process works • competing proposals for    More >

In the more than a decade since the enactment of the Affordable Care Act, questions about the law continue to be vigorously debated. What political dynamics led to its passage? Why has it been subject to so many existential threats? What accounts for its survival and growth? How can its performance best be evaluated? Addressing these questions, James Brasfield eschews partisan rhetoric to    More >

Every year, the US Department of Defense allocates more than $400 billion to for-profit firms. Which raises the question: Where does the money go? Thomas Bruneau takes a deep dive into the murky waters of national defense outsourcing to answer that question. Moving beyond the issue of private military contractors, Bruneau investigates the scope, legality, and implications of the private    More >

What drives cities to pursue large-scale, high-profile events like the Olympic games? What are the consequences for citizens and local governments? Investigating local politics in three U.S. cities—Los Angeles, Atlanta, and Salt Lake City—as they vied for the role of Olympic host, this book provides a compelling narrative of the evolving political economy of modern megaevents. The    More >

Burke's detailed and comprehensive account of the four presidential transitions from Jimmy Carter to Bill Clinton explores how each president-elect prepared to take office and carefully links those preparations to the performance and effectiveness of the new administration. Enriched by interviews with the key participants, this sobering tale of the difficulties that new presidents have    More >

How did a president-elect whose win was hardly convincing, and who had the narrowest margin of congressional support imaginable, create an advantage for himself that prevailed in the face of unexpected and unprecedented challenges? To answer this question, John Burke offers an in-depth account of George W. Bush's unconventional transition to power—and the significant developments that    More >

Despite billions of government dollars spent in the attempt, we are no closer than we were three decades ago to solving the problem of homelessness. Why? Tackling these questions, the authors of Ending Homelessness explore the complicated and often dysfunctional relationship between efforts to address homelessness and the realities on the street.    More >

Avengers. PerSisters. The pink wave. And even badasses. These terms have been used to refer to the unprecedented number of female candidates who ran for elected office in the United States in 2018. Barbara Burrell explores this phenomenon—in the context of women's candidacies for election to the US House of Representatives—discussing who the women were, why they chose to run,    More >

How can health-access advocates beat the wealthy pharmaceutical industry, which has the biggest spending lobby in Washington? Ramón Castellblanch provides a ringside seat at the battle as he reveals how activists in Vermont, Maine, and California took on Big Pharma in their state legislatures to promote better and cheaper access to prescription drugs—and ultimately pushed Congress to    More >

From aspirin to Viagra to the latest cancer treatment, the Food and Drug Administration acts as a gatekeeper determining what medicines are legally available in the United States. But in fulfilling that regulatory role, Stephen Ceccoli argues, the FDA may inadvertently be promoting new drugs at the expense of public health. The FDA's initial mandate to protect health grew out of    More >

Drones. Healthcare. Immigration. The economy. Gun control. Topics in the news on a daily basis, all the subject of heated policy debates. This new edition of Public Policy: Perspectives and Choices—thoroughly revised to reflect a half-decade of significant changes in the policy environment—is designed to give students the tools that they need to analyze and assess the nation’s    More >

What was the role of the Federal Reserve System in the 2008 financial crisis—as a cause of the crisis, as the most important government agency to respond, and as the center of federal efforts to prevent another crisis? J. Kevin Corder provides an incisive account of the Fed choices that contributed to the "crash of 2008." Centering his analysis on the oversight of mortgage    More >

From the newsroom to pop culture, all signs suggest that the United States is finally ready for a woman in the White House. But is the vision of an imminent Madam President truly in line with today’s political reality? Rethinking Madam President offers a critical assessment of the inroads made by female candidates into the previously male bastion of electoral success, exploring whether    More >

In this wide-ranging text, Lori Cox Han explores whether—and if so, how—the presence of women on the center stage of US politics is changing the political process.  Han first provides a solid context, thoroughly covering the history of the women's movement, suffrage, the contours of feminism, and issues of equality. She then turns to women as voters, activists, candidates,    More >

What are the consequences of political polarization in the United States? Are citizens' interests adequately represented when divisive politics are the norm? What ideologies—and entrenched institutions—perpetuate these divisions, and what social groups are most affected? Answering these questions, Polarized Politics is a major contribution to our understanding of the causes,    More >

Why does the right dominate debates on crime, family values, and economic freedom? Why does the left defend divisive aspects of affirmative action, while equivocating on questions of ecology and political empowerment for young people? The answer, Cummings believes, is that too many progressives have avoided politically sensitive issues, condemning themselves to intellectual atrophy and political    More >

This comprehensive overview of US environmental regulation—from the inception of the EPA through the Bush administration—goes beyond traditional texts to consider alternatives to the existing regulatory regime, as well as the challenges posed by the global nature of environmental issues. Thoughtful and evenhanded, Governing the Environment covers the full range of topics relevant to    More >

The third edition of Contemporary Regulatory Policy brings this classic text completely up to date—reflecting more than a decade of policy changes and including an entirely new chapter on food safety regulation. Beyond their focus on seven key policy arenas, the authors confront the broad problems of partisan polarization and congressional gridlock. They also consider the significance of    More >

Long a source of contention and ambiguity in Washington, the US Institute of Peace (USIP) is seen by some as a vital part of the US national security apparatus, by others as a counter to the influence of militarism in US foreign policy, and by still others as an example of fiscal irresponsibility and bureaucratic redundancy—when it is noticed at all. Michael English traces the history of    More >

Why do presidents bother to give speeches when their words rarely move public opinion? Arguing that "going public" isn't really about going to the public at all, Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha explores to whom presidential speeches are in fact targeted, and what—if any—influence they have on public policy.   Eshbaugh-Soha shows that, when presidents speak, their intent is    More >

The Republican Party once enjoyed nearly unanimous support among African American voters; today, it can hardly maintain a foothold in the black community. Exploring how and why this shift occurred—as well as recent efforts to reverse it—Michael Fauntroy meticulously navigates the policy choices and political strategies that have driven a wedge between the GOP and its formerly stalwart    More >

How are budget decisions made by the US government? Is it fair to blame skyrocketing deficits on an inability to curtail spending? How—and why—are taxing and spending decidedly separate political processes? Emphasizing budgetary politics rather than economic theories, Patrick Fisher offers a clear, thorough overview of how money flows through our government coffers. A welcome    More >

This new edition of Tabloid Justice reveals that, although the media focus on high-profile criminal trials is thought by many to have diminished in the years since the September 11 terrorist attacks, the polarized, partisan coverage of these trials has in fact continued unabated. The authors investigate the profoundly negative impact of the media's coverage of the criminal justice    More >

"It's my land, I can do whatever I want with it." "This is our neighborhood (or city, or park), and we should be the ones deciding how it's used." These are two strongly held—and diametrically opposed—views of appropriate land use. As John G. and Leslie Pickering Francis demonstrate, the debate about what to do with land is messy, complex, and often based on    More >

Though recent US government attention to global women's rights and empowerment is often presented as a new phenomenon, Karen Garner argues that nearly two decades ago the Clinton administration broke barriers to challenge women's unequal status vis-à-vis men around the world and to incorporate their needs into US foreign policy and aid programs. Garner draws on a wide range of    More >

Choice Outstanding Academic Book! How do sleepy congressional campaigns become heated battles? What happens behind the scenes during pivotal moments? Sam Garrett explores the dynamic process of electioneering by focusing on the insights and activities of political professionals: the consultants, party officials, staffers, and others who make a career out of campaigning. As his analysis makes    More >

The Congressional Caucus for Women's Issues (CCWI) was the most effective bipartisan organization in the House—until changes wrought by the "Republican revolution" of 1994 threatened its very survival. Irwin Gertzog analyzes the origin, development, and influence of the CCWI and explores how the women associated with it have emerged from near oblivion to reassert their role in    More >

Polly Corrigan Book Prize Finalist! In 1974, Richard Nixon resigned in disgrace. In 2020, Donald Trump was impeached. Both were investigated by the FBI, an agency under their control. How is it that the bureau is responsible for investigating the president it serves? How can it do so effectively? Nixon's FBI confronts these questions. Melissa Graves draws on groundbreaking research and    More >

Scholars and pundits alike have spent more than a little time speculating about why Hillary Clinton lost the presidency to Donald Trump in 2016. Their conclusions may differ, but few would disagree that Clinton's nomination by a major party changed the political landscape in significant ways—nor that the results of the 2016 election provoked a large number of women to run for office at    More >

Despite legal affirmations of women's rights to abortion, actual access to the procedure in North America is increasingly curtailed. Melissa Haussman analyzes this disturbing disparity between official policies and daily realities in the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Haussman examines the successes of US antichoice groups—groups that have extended their reach to effectively contest    More >

From developing effective messages to working with the news media, from writing speeches to tweeting, from crisis communication to the ethics of political communication, and everything in between, Political Communication in Action takes the reader step-by-step through the process. This approachable text: • Covers both theory and real-world practice • Uses examples and case studies    More >

The State of the Union is no ordinary speech on at least two accounts: it is a fundamental statement of how a president approaches current policy debates, and it is the one presidential address that US citizens are most likely to hear each year. Donna Hoffman and Alison Howard document the political significance and legislative impact or, often, lack of impact of this most visible of    More >

In Capitalism and Justice, John Isbister takes a practical approach to some of the most important questions of economic and social justice in the context of the global economy: How big a spread of incomes from rich to poor, for example, is consistent with social justice? Should inheritances be abolished? What sort of commitment should a rich country like the United States make to foreign aid?    More >

Why do some 30 million people in the United States give money to political candidates and causes—even though most individual contributions are irrational from the perspective of a strict cost-benefit analysis? How do campaign fundraisers tap into potential donors' motivations? Exploring three decades of historical data and also drawing extensively on the insights of contemporary campaign    More >

Seldom do we notice, let alone explicitly acknowledge, that public policies set distinct parameters for gender. But as Creating Gender compellingly demonstrates, in reality governments do use policy—to legitimize and support some gender-based behaviors, while undermining others. Looking in depth at the case of welfare reform, but considering a wide range of policy arenas, the authors    More >

Whistleblowers can ruin lives—and can save them. Is it worth it? Roberta Ann Johnson explores when and how—and to what effect—people make the choice to blow the whistle. Engrossing case studies from the tobacco industry, to NASA, to the FDA illustrate clearly how individual efforts can and do transform institutions, shape public policy, and serve as a force for democratization.    More >

In the last decades of the twentieth century, many political leaders declared that government was, in the words of Ronald Reagan, "the problem, not the solution." But on closer inspection, argues Elaine Kamarck, the revolt against government was and is a revolt against bureaucracy—a revolt that has taken place in first world, developing, and avowedly communist countries alike. To    More >

Choice Outstanding Academic Book! How do transformative changes in public policy take place? Why do some issues rise to the top of the political agenda, while others are completely ignored? What makes some major policy initiatives succeed—at times, even when the odds are decidedly against them—while others fail or languish for decades? Answering those questions is the purpose of    More >

You can't win the presidency without winning the South, or so the saying goes—but what does "winning the South" actually entail? How is the southern electoral landscape distinct? Presidential Elections in the South offers a comprehensive examination of the trends driving election outcomes in the region since 1948. The authors assess the electoral significance of everything    More >

Kenneth Kitts offers entry into the highly political, behind-closed-doors world of blue-ribbon investigative commissions convened in the aftermath of national security crises.   Ranging from Pearl Harbor to the September 11 terrorist attacks, Kitts takes the reader into the "backroom" to watch as presidents, their advisers, and commission members confront an armory of pressures.    More >

Cozy politics, Peter Kobrak contends, is shredding the already fragile fabric of political rapport between citizens and their government. Exploring the insidious system that encourages elected officials to cooperate with their supposed opponents—rather than with their own constituents—he reveals the enormous power that wealthy donors and interest-group supporters wield over    More >

In the past fifteen years, presidents from two parties, supported by parents, teachers, and civic leaders have tried—and generally failed—to increase student achievement through federal policymaking. Supposedly pathbreaking legislation to "leave no child behind" has hardly made a dent in the problem. What is going on? Kevin R. Kosar delves into the political maneuvering    More >

Where are Asian Americans gaining political power in the United States today? And how? Looking beyond traditional conceptions of immigrant political behavior in "gateway" cities, James Lai comprehensively analyzes how Asian Americans are not only winning elected office, but also sustaining representation, in places as diverse as California, Texas, Wisconsin, and Maryland. Lai's    More >

Senator Hillary Clinton won 18 million votes in 2008—nearly twice that of any presidential contender in recent history—yet she failed to secure the Democratic nomination. In this compelling look at Clinton’s historic candidacy, Regina Lawrence and Melody Rose explore how she came so close to breaking the ultimate glass ceiling in US politics, why she fell short, and what her    More >

While many commentators and political scientists dismissed Jesse Ventura's rise to the governorship as a fluke of celebrity, Jacob Lentz shows that it was Minnesota's unique electoral rules, coupled with on-target campaign dynamics, that enabled a third-party candidate to reach office. In this first complete account of Ventura's victory, Lentz draws on tantalizing details from the    More >

How does politics shape US government policies to control crime? How does the criminal justice system affect the activities of political actors? This lively text provides an overview of crime as a political issue and the impact of politics on US policymaking in the field of criminal justice. Recent policy responses to internet-related crimes are used as real-world examples of the political    More >

Mark Martinez reveals how the myth of the "invisible hand" has distorted our understanding of the development and actual performance of modern capitalist markets. Martinez draws on historical cases to make it clear that political processes and the state are not only instrumental in making capitalist markets work, but that there would be no capitalist markets or wealth creation without    More >

How is U.S. public policy made? This comprehensive survey, designed to help students and scholars understand the complexity of policymaking, traces the Employee Commute Option (ECO) step by step from initial idea through enactment and implementation to evaluation and reformulation. The authors integrate two dominant theories in the policy analysis literature—the policy cycle model and the    More >

One of the most durable myths of US political economy is that we take from the rich and give to the poor—penalizing the rich for their hard work and rewarding the undeserving. Mark Mattern turns that story on its head. Documenting the everyday, institutionalized ways that income and wealth are transferred upward in the United States, Mattern shows how in fact the bottom subsidizes the    More >

Does Alaska's reliance on oil and gas mean that it inevitably will be controlled by corporate energy interests? Or can the state use its vast resource holdings to manage a more symmetrical partnership? The Political Economy of Oil in Alaska investigates the complex relationship Alaska has with its most precious commodity. Offering a new perspective on the challenges of oil-dependent    More >

Elusive Equality explores how government institutions—the executive branch, the federal courts, Congress, and state legislatures—affect the legal status of women. In this fully revised and updated edition, Susan Gluck Mezey traces the evolving legal parameters of gender equality from early court rulings through the most recent legislation and judicial decisions. She also examines    More >

Despite women's many gains in the political, economic, and social spheres, equality remains elusive—and in some areas, ground is being lost. Why? Why does the pay gap between women and men persist? Why is sexual harassment and assault so prevalent in schools and universities? Why are efforts to diminish women's individual autonomy, restricting their access to reproductive health    More >

While existing scholarship addresses the influence of religious affiliation on political attitudes and behaviors in the United States, a number of puzzling questions remain unanswered. In response, Matthew Miles demonstrates that a more complete conceptualization of religion as a social identity can help to explain many of those puzzles. As he explores the impact, both positive and negative, of    More >

While there is arguably universal agreement that corruption plagues countries worldwide, do we agree as well on what corruption is and how to fight it? Do the left and right on the political spectrum hold conflicting views on the issue? Is there a difference in how successful left vs. right governments are in curbing corruption? These are the questions that inspired The Corruption    More >

This new, fully revised edition of Latino Political Power reflects a diverse community evolving in its ethnic, racial, and sexual identities, as well as in its voting behavior and party affiliations. Sharon Navarro and Kim Geron map the transformation of Latino political power from the 1960s to the present. Comprehensive and accessible, their analysis of the complex processes of political    More >

What role do the media play in influencing political life and shaping public opinion and behavior? Do they support—or undermine—our democratic beliefs and institutions? Claims about the media’s powerful influence are frequently made, but where is the evidence? Kenneth Newton scrutinizes these complex questions. Recognizing that differing forms of political communication have    More >

Politics and the Press not only examines how journalists define the news; it also explores the role of the media in elections and the shaping of public opinion, as well as the reportage of the news on policy issues. This important work presents original research by a unique team of visiting scholars, journalists, and industry leaders at the Joan Shorenstein Center at Harvard University. Norris    More >

The Making of Telecommunications Policy examines the history, politics, and impact of telecommunications policy. Beginning with a comparison of several alternate views of the future, Olufs explains how government action makes the widespread use of some new technologies more likely than others. He details the challenges that rapid advances in communications technologies pose for policymaking    More >

Since 1916, when the first woman was elected to the US Congress, fewer than 10 percent of all members have been women. Why is this number so extraordinarily small? And how has the presence of women in the electoral arena changed over the past hundred years? Barbara Palmer and Dennis Simon combine a rich analytical narrative, data on nearly 40,000 candidates, and colorful stories from the campaign    More >

Dozens of ethnic groups work determinedly to achieve specific policy goals in Washington, but to what degree do they actually wield power? Which groups are the most influential, and why? David Paul and Rachel Anderson Paul consider the relative impact of 38 ethnic lobbies to determine whether—and if so, how—they affect the course of US foreign policy. Paul and Paul systematically    More >

Legalized gambling has spread like wildfire through the United States, with only Hawaii and Utah still prohibiting all of its forms. The reason? Gambling has become the method of choice for states in search of additional revenue: in 2002 alone, state lottery sales exceeded $42 billion, netting nearly $14 billion in "voluntary taxes." Gambling Politics examines this dramatic development    More >

Mass killings. Gang violence. Street crimes. Suicides. Accidental shootings. The United States is enduring a literal epidemic of gun violence. Howard Rahtz, drawing on decades of experience as a police officer all too familiar with the horrors that guns can cause, delves deeply into the nature and impact of this epidemic. Rahtz explores each element of the triangle of ability, desire, and    More >

How have the momentous events of the early 21st century affected the millennial generation's political awareness and action? What accounts for the widespread youth mobilization in support of Barack Obama during the 2008 elections? How do millennials differ from past generations in the ways that they engage in politics? Addressing these questions, David Rankin goes beyond the impact of    More >

This wide-ranging study grapples with the increasingly complex array of opportunities and challenges that face women today as both legislative candidates and elected officials. Offering cutting-edge, original research, Legislative Women expands our knowledge on an array of critical topics. The contributors address everything from campaign finance to the significance of race and ethnicity, from    More >

Jimmy Carter participated in more than two hundred interviews between 1976 and 1996. In the twenty-three conversations presented here, highly regarded interviewers lead President Carter to clarify his public stands and private beliefs.   The dialogue created through these encounters demonstrates the growth of a principled man, encapsulating the major debates and concerns of the last quarter    More >

When state and federal governments intrude, abdicate responsibility, or prove unable to respond to local needs, how can cities fight back? How can they promote and defend their own interests? Addressing these questions, Lori Riverstone-Newell explores the emergence of local policy activism and its impact in a number of state and federal policy arenas.    More >

Illuminating the many facets of his career and exploring his extraordinary legacy, a distinguished group of authors examine Nobel peace laureate Ralph Bunche's ideas and activities ranging from his involvement in the civil rights movement to his work at the United Nations. As they reflect on Bunche's responses to some of the crucial problems that confronted the United States during his    More >

What unique challenges do women face as they seek and attain high-ranking positions in the executive branches of government? How can these challenges be overcome? Is there an established "pipeline" to office, or must women find their own ways to achieve power? Is there any relationship between gender and job performance? Addressing these questions, the authors of Women and Executive    More >

Does federal funding of a church's welfare-to-work program constitute government endorsement of a particular religion? Do religious organizations that accept public funds lose the legal autonomy needed to preserve their religious identity and mission? Wading into the constitutional battle over whether government can/should enlist the help of religious organizations in delivering social    More >

When it comes to legislative elections, entrenched incumbents typically face little competition, and excessive campaign spending often corrupts the democratic process. At the state level, a wide range of fixes have been introduced to remedy these problems—but do they actually make a difference? William Salka’s comprehensive analysis of election dynamics in 49 states provides a    More >

Assuring that low-income children have health coverage would seem to be a noncontroversial and popular issue. Yet, the policy history of US children’s health insurance is full of drama, and the fate of the federal State Children's Health Insurance Program (SCHIP) has been marked by ideological conflict and two presidential vetoes. Why? Alice Sardell answers this question through an    More >

Though women constitute 52 percent of U.S. voters, as of October, 1996 only 10 percent of the members of Congress and one of the 50 state governors are women. Why, more than 75 years after they won the right to vote, are women so severely underrepresented in elected office? Why does it seem that, as voters, their influence is not equal to their numbers? Much of the conventional wisdom and    More >

Stories of interactions between unauthorized immigrants crossing the border into Arizona and the US citizens they encounter have made headlines not only in areas adjacent to the border, but across the entire United States. How have these stories, along with adamant members of civil society—those who provide help to travelers in need, as well as those who wish to stop what they see as an    More >

Conversations about Donald Trump often begin with the question: how did he become president? In Questions of Character, Robert Smith provides some compelling answers based on his assessment of the role that personality and character played leading up to and during Trump's term in office. Smith traces the impact of Trump's character on the conduct of domestic and foreign policy,    More >

Choice Outstanding Academic Book! Robert Smith and Richard Seltzer offer fresh insights on the decisive, and often surprising, role of presidents and presidential candidates in polarizing US politics.     In a rich, multidimensional narrative, the authors show how presidential rhetoric and policies have served to divide voters along lines of class, party, race, and region. They    More >

Choice Outstanding Academic Book! After years of decline, why has party attachment become a strong force once again in US politics? Jeffrey Stonecash argues that the recent resurgence of partisanship is but the latest chapter in a larger story of party realignment —a story that reaffirms the centrality of political parties. Stonecash marshals rich data from more than a century of elections    More >

It is undisputed that the Republican Party has changed dramatically since the 1940s and '50s. But the exact nature of that change—and how it came to be—remain subject to debate. Jeffrey Stonecash meticulously assesses the cumulative effect of a range of contentious issues in US politics to shed light on the decisions that party leaders have made to attract voters, the essence of    More >

How much money can a candidate for political office legally collect, and from what sources? What can and can't be said in campaign ads? Who determines the process of redistricting, and what is the overall effect on U.S. democracy? Law and Election Politics analyzes the rules of the electoral game, helping readers to understand how politics influences and is influenced by electoral laws and    More >

Why is climate change the subject of such vehement political rhetoric in the United States?  What explains the policy deadlock that has existed for nearly two decades—and that has resulted in the failure of US leadership in the international arena? Addressing these questions, Glen Sussman and Byron Daynes trace the evolution of US climate change policy, assess how key players—the    More >

Choice Outstanding Academic Book! Black nationalism. Is it an outdated political strategy? Or, as James Taylor argues in his rich, sweeping analysis, a logical response to the failure of post–civil rights politics? Taylor offers a provocative assessment of the contemporary relevance and interpretation of black nationalism as both a school of thought and a mode of mobilization.    More >

What's wrong with U.S. unions, and what could make it right? These are the questions addressed by eighteen partisans—union dissidents and noted scholars—of union democracy. Agreeing that any long-term solutions must come from the grassroots of the union movement, they argue for expansion rather than contraction, militancy rather than accommodation, and internal democracy rather    More >

Initiated in the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, have the reforms of the US intelligence enterprise served their purpose? What have been the results of the creation of the Department of Homeland Security, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, and a reorganized FBI? Have they helped to reduce blind spots and redundancies in resources and responsibilities ... and to    More >

Do vice presidential candidates play any significant role in presidential elections? Challenging the conventional wisdom, Stacy Ulbig shows the important ways in which they do in fact affect election outcomes. She also assesses the impact of a range of vice presidential candidates and considers how the news media fits in the equation. Analyzing data from 1972 through 2008, Ulbig shows clearly how    More >

A grassroots citizens' group in Peru stops a multinational firm from digging a mine in the middle of  town. The research director of a think tank in Ghana helps convince the government to establish a national AIDS commission. An international NGO plays a key role in getting funding for climate-change adaptation included in a bill passed by the US Congress. All three are cases of the    More >

Desegregating the military. The internment of Japanese Americans. Limiting stem-cell research. Each of these actions has been accomplished by way of executive order—bypassing the legislative process. Adam Warber offers an in-depth look at how modern presidents use this weapon in their arsenal of authority.   Warber systematically analyzes the strategic nature of close to 5,500    More >

Whether editing speeches and appearing on the campaign trail, presiding over White House renovations and social events, championing important causes, or functioning as the president's most trusted adviser, first ladies have made significant contributions to the heads-of-state's careers and to the nation. Yet, the accomplishments of those who have acted as the power behind the presidency    More >

Madam President? The question is not if, but rather when the United States will elect a female president—but that may be the only certainty involved in shattering this most visible glass ceiling in U.S. society.   Who will be included in the field of candidates for Madam President, and why? How will she have to position herself for a viable run at the Oval Office? Once in office, will    More >

Blending insightful scholarship with a "nuts and bolts" approach, Campaigns and Elections examines the electoral process at the local, state, and national levels. The authors—leading scholars, political professionals, and election administrators—focus on such current issues as the use of pollsters and political consultants, campaign finance reform, partisan politics, and the    More >

Robert Watson's groundbreaking study on the presidents' wives proved that the first lady can be an influential force in presidential politics and is a subject worthy of scholarly attention. Now, this fully revised second edition incorporates the first ladyships of Hillary Rodham Clinton, Laura Bush, and Michelle Obama in each chapter. The new edition also includes a decade-and-a-half of    More >

Clyde Weed recovers and analyzes the largely lost history of the Republican Party in the first half of the twentieth century. Exploring the internal dynamics of the GOP during those decades, Weed draws on a wide range of previously neglected sources to explore the fundamental transformation that the party experienced—and in the process to shed new light, as well, on the ideology and    More >

Florida 2000 offers a clear, but also nuanced, account of the legal and constitutional issues surrounding the disputed presidential election. Combining original sources with analyses, Mark Whitman traces the major developments in the Bush-Gore struggle. Section introductions and commentaries synthesize the often complex material, while editor's notes provide context for each selection. The    More >

Choice Outstanding Academic Book! The main focus of US national security policy has shifted dramatically since the years of the Obama administration, moving away from nation building and counterinsurgency efforts and toward preparing for traditional state-on-state conflict with powerful peers. The sixth edition of US National Security reflects that change. It also addresses such current issues    More >

The black/white gaps in income, education, and wealth are expanding. Prisons are crowded with black men. There is an increasing concentration of urban poverty. While individuals and communities reject biological determinism and find bigotry offensive, structural inequalities remain. Why? Addressing this fundamental question, Carter Wilson focuses on the elusive dynamics of contemporary    More >

Current through the November 2012 elections, The New Southern Politics seamlessly integrates a thematic overview of the distinctive political, social, and economic life of eleven southern states with a detailed state-by-state focus. This new edition includes entirely new maps and the latest available data for Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South    More >

In the United States today, 50 million people don't have enough food. How is this possible in one of the world's wealthiest countries? Why hasn’t the problem been solved? Is it simply an economic issue? Challenging conventional wisdom, the authors of Hunger in the Land of Plenty explore the causes and consequences of food insecurity; assess some of the major policies and programs    More >