Request full copy

Government by the People, 27th edition

Published by Pearson (April 23, 2021) © 2022

  • David B. Magleby Brigham Young University
  • Paul C. Light New York University
  • Christine L. Nemacheck The College of William & Mary

eTextbook

C$57.99

  • Easy-to-use search and navigation
  • Add notes and highlights
  • Flashcards help streamline study sessions

For courses in American Government.

Influence students to act by exploring American politics through the Constitution

Government by the People: Structure, Action and Impact provides a constitutional anchor for critical thinking that helps students become informed participants in the decisions and processes of our democracy. The authors show students the stake they have in our government and help them see how they can impact the future of their community, the nation and the world.

The 2020 Presidential Election Edition offers coverage of recent major issues, including the 2020 presidential and congressional elections and the coronavirus pandemic.

Read a letter from the authors

Hallmark features of this title

  • In order to show students how they can take action themselves, the authors examine important recent policy issues such as reforming the institutions of government, reducing income inequality and confronting systemic racism.
  • The photo program depicts images of major events of the last few years, helping create a visual narrative that enhances rather than repeats the text content.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: New and updated material on important recent developments covers the following:
    • The 2020 election, including the primary elections, campaign finance, the economy, battleground states, Congressional contests, and implications for policy in 2021 and beyond
    • COVID-19, including its effect on the 2020 election, policy and the media
    • The shift to voting-by-mail in many states, with discussion of the challenges brought by the Trump campaign about the legitimacy of this process and how the situation was ultimately resolved
    • The role race, education, gender, age, income and other individual characteristics have on American government and politics, through discussions of Black Lives Matter, the gender gap in elections and the impact of growing income inequality
  • UPDATED: The most current data available has been fully integrated throughout the text, tables, and figures. Some areas where up-to-date data is particularly apparent include the coverage of campaign finance and insights into why people voted as they did in the 2020 election.

PART I: CONSTITUTIONAL PRINCIPLES

  1. Constitutional Democracy
  2. Constitutional Foundations
  3. American Federalism

PART II: THE POLITICAL PROCESS

  1. The American Political Landscape
  2. Interest Groups
  3. Political Parties
  4. Public Opinion, Ideology, Participation, and Voting
  5. Campaigns and Elections
  6. The Media and U.S. Politics

PART III: POLICY-MAKING INSTITUTIONS

  1. Congress
  2. The Presidency
  3. The Federal Bureaucracy and Public Policy
  4. The Judiciary

PART IV: RIGHTS AND LIBERTIES

  1. Civil Liberties
  2. Civil Rights

PART V: THE POLITICS OF NATIONAL POLICY

  1. Economic and Social Policy
  2. Foreign and Defense Policy

About our authors

David B. Magleby is an emeritus distinguished professor of political science at Brigham Young University (BYU). He has been an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow, as well as a Fulbright Scholar. He is recognized for his expertise on direct democracy, voting behavior and campaign finance. Dave is also the recipient of many teaching awards, including the 1990 Utah Professor of the Year Award, the 2001 Rowman & Littlefield Award for Innovative Teaching in Political Science, and several department and university awards. He served as president of Pi Sigma Alpha, the political science honor society.

Paul C. Light is the Paulette Goddard Professor of Public Service at New York University's Wagner School of Public Service and the founding principal investigator for the Global Center for Public Service. In 2015, he received the American Political Science Association John Gaus Award for exemplary scholarship in Political Science and Public Administration. He has worked on Capitol Hill as a senior committee staffer in the U.S. Senate and as an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the U.S. House of Representatives. Paul is the founding director of the Brookings Institution's Center for Public Service and continues his research on how to invite Americans to serve their communities through public service.

Christine L. Nemacheck is an associate professor of government at The College of William & Mary, where she directs the Center for the Liberal Arts and co-directs the H. Stewart Dunn, Jr. Civil Liberties Project. Her research focuses on judicial selection, judicial federalism and the role of the courts in a separation-of-powers system. Chris has received a number of awards for her teaching and research activity, including the Alumni Fellowship Award for excellence in teaching at The College of William & Mary. She is the former co-editor of the Pi Sigma Alpha Undergraduate Journal of Politics.

Need help? Get in touch

Pearson+

All in one place. Pearson+ offers instant access to eTextbooks, videos and study tools in one intuitive interface. Students choose how they learn best with enhanced search, audio and flashcards. The Pearson+ app lets them read where life takes them, no wi-fi needed. Students can access Pearson+ through a subscription or their MyLab or Mastering course.

Video
Play
Privacy and cookies
By watching, you agree Pearson can share your viewership data for marketing and analytics for one year, revocable by deleting your cookies.

Video transcript (PDF | 16KB) 

Pearson eTextbook: What’s on the inside just might surprise you

They say you can’t judge a book by its cover. It’s the same with your students. Meet each one right where they are with an engaging, interactive, personalized learning experience that goes beyond the textbook to fit any schedule, any budget, and any lifestyle.Â