The Logic of American Politics

By Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, et al.

Book Overview

"I have been using The Logic of American Politics for ten years, and of all the introductory textbooks on American politics, this is the best. It has a well-carried theme throughout, is comprehensive, and always reflects updated political science research."

--Danny Hayes, The George Washington University

Praised for its engaging narrative, this new edition of the bestselling The Logic of American Politics arms students with a revised introduction to institutional design that makes concepts such as command, veto, agenda control, voting rules, and delegation easier for students to master and apply, so they clearly see how the American political system was devised and why it works the way it does. Authors Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck build students′ critical thinking through a simple yet powerful idea: politics is about solving collective action problems.

The Eighth Edition is fully updated and covers the dramatic 2016 election results with a thorough analysis of those results. It continues to delve into partisan differences among voters and in government and highlight the increasingly partisan nature of campaigns. By exploring issues such as the Affordable Care Act's troubled implementation, the increasing legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage in the states, and the debate over immigration, the book illustrates how the institutional structures of government, federalism, and even campaigns can help voters make sense of their choices. The concluding chapter on policymaking examines the noticeable logic that guides American policy, as shown through issues like health care reform, global climate change, and the federal budget. 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.

Interactive eBook also available

Your students save when you bundle the new edition with the interactive eBook version.
Order using bundle ISBN 978-1-5063-8522-8. Learn more.

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Assignable SAGE Premium Video Boost Comprehension. Bolster Analysis. Available via the Interactive eBook and linked through SAGE coursepacks, SAGE Premium Video is tied to learning objectives and produced exclusively for this text. SAGE Premium Video brings concepts to life and appeals to different learning styles, featuring news clips that bring extra coverage of current events into the book and Topics in American Government animated videos that recap the fundamentals of American politics.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1506358667
• ISBN13: 9781506358666
• Release Date: April 2017
• Publisher: CQ Press
• Length: 744 Pages
• Weight: 2.27 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 7.4" x 8.9"

Customer Reviews

Worth reading outside of class

As an undergraduate, I find newsman's assertion that I can't grasp free rider problems insulting. It's not rocket science. Anyway, the prose is amazing, the book is chock full of fascinating historical examples, and the exposition of ideas is logical and tidy. It doesn't even strike one as a textbook upon reading. The typical dry, textbook blandness can be found nowhere. After my class was over, we hadn't completed the book, but it was interesting enough for me to finish it on my own -- and I'm an engineering major!

Great book - one of the best in the area

I have used this textbook in my undergraduate course in American Politics for over 5 years because it is one that encourages students to use theoretical tools to think critically and to understand how government works as well as anticipate what will happen given a set of circumstances - that is what theory is all about. The rational choice perspective is presented very clearly and I have not had a student who has not gained some greater understanding of the governmental process through their reading of this textbook. Moreover, the book is rich in historical and contemporary examples. The book is not perfect, but few textbooks meet that criteria. And it is certainly not above the heads of college undergraduates, but rather interesting enough to get them engaged, and challenging enough so that their brains grow a bit rather than having material that is dummied down for them. It does have some big words in it, but students can look them up or the teacher can explain them to them... ; )