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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

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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.

Highlights of the DIGITAL UPDATE for Revel (available for Spring 2023 classes)

Instructors, contact your sales rep to ensure you have the most recent version of the course.

  • UPDATED: The Digital Update better helps students understand how they can shape the future direction of our country, with new material on:
    • the impact of changes in the federal judiciary under the Trump and Biden administrations, as well as recent Supreme Court decisions
    • issues surrounding immigration such as the status of DACA and government actions toward children brought here years ago by their undocumented parents
    • issues of race and the intense conversation about how public schools would teach about racism
    • how the murder of George Floyd in 2020 forced a national debate on police conduct and bias against people of color
  • UPDATED: Pearson Originals for Political Science videos with new video quizzes illustrate complex political concepts like the Electoral College, immigration and the Constitution in a simplified and entertaining way.

Features of Revel for the 27th Edition; published 2021

  • UPDATED: Current Events Bulletins bring currency into your classroom with author-written articles that connect key concepts with real-life current events. New or revised articles added regularly help students engage with the course.
  • Politics in Plain Sight videos show students how politics influences their daily activity and help them see that politics is everywhere.
  • So What? videos, Current Events videos, The Big Picture videos and Sketchnote videos illuminate key topics in an engaging manner.

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.

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