Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy, 2018 Elections and Updates Edition, 17th edition

Published by Pearson (March 5, 2019) © 2020

  • George C. Edwards Texas A&M University
  • George C. Edwards, III Texas A&M University
  • Martin P. Wattenberg University of California - Irvine
  • William G. Howell University of Chicago

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For courses in American Government.

Learn how American politics affects public policy

Government in America: People, Politics and Policy shows how politics influences the policies that shape American society. The authors provide a framework for understanding the difficult questions that decision makers of both political parties are facing: how should we govern and what should government do? By examining the scope of government, the authors help students see how politics matters in their own lives.

The 2018 Elections and Updates Edition offers new narrative coverage of major events and issues including the 2018 midterm elections and the nomination of Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court

Hallmark features of this title

  • Chapter-opening vignettes make the subject matter as relevant as possible. From the first chapter, the authors emphasize the significance of government to young people and the importance of their participation.
  • You Are the Policymaker features ask students to read arguments on both sides of a current issue, and then to make a policy decision. In Chapters 4 and 5 (Civil Liberties and Civil Rights), this feature is titled You Are the Judge and presents actual court cases.
  • Why It Matters Today insets encourage students to think critically about an aspect of government, politics or policy and to consider the repercussions if things worked differently.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: Government in America has been revised and updated to include new material on the following topics:
    • the 2018 congressional elections
    • the presidency of Donald Trump
    • recent Supreme Court decisions, ranging from freedom of speech and religion to same-gender marriage and warrantless searches
    • expanded coverage of current policies on health care, budgeting, immigration, environmental protection, the war on terrorism and North Korea
  • NEW: Our Polarized Politics essays explore the extreme degree of political polarization today, investigating causes and consequences, the effect on policymaking and what we can do about it.

Features of Revel for the 17th Edition

Embedded videos that illuminate key topics

  • Pearson Originals for Political Science videos illustrate complex political concepts like federalism, gerrymandering and executive action in a simplified and entertaining way.
  • Politics in Plain Sight videos show students how politics influences their daily activity, and help them see that politics is everywhere.
  • Chapter-concluding So What? videos clarify the focus and distinct ideas of each chapter.

Engaging content that fosters curiosity and learning

  • 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.
  • Data-rich interactive maps, figures, and tables with Social Explorer technology let students interact with real data to explore the concepts they've just read about.
  • Custom-built interactive maps and diagrams enable students to engage with visual content in different ways.
PART I: CONSTITUTIONAL FOUNDATIONS
1. Introducing Government in America
2. The Constitution
3. Federalism
4. Civil Liberties and Public Policy
5. Civil Rights and Public Policy
 
PART II: PEOPLE AND POLITICS
6. Public Opinion and Political Action
7. The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
8. Political Parties
9. Campaigns and Voting Behavior
10. Interest Groups
 
PART III: THE POLICYMAKERS
11. Congress
12. The Presidency
13. The Budget: The Politics of Taxing and Spending
14. The Federal Bureaucracy
15. The Federal Courts
 
PART IV: POLICIES
16. Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
17. Policymaking for Health Care, the Environment, and Energy
18. National Security Policymaking

About our authors

George C. Edwards III is University Distinguished Professor of Political Science and the Jordan Chair in Presidential Studies Emeritus at Texas A&M University. He is also Distinguished Fellow at the University of Oxford. When he determined that he was unlikely to become shortstop for the New York Yankees, he turned to political science. Today, he is one of the country's leading scholars of the presidency and has written or edited 26 books on American politics and edits Presidential Studies Quarterly.

Martin P. Wattenberg teaches courses on American politics at the University of California, Irvine. His first regular paying job was with what is now known as the "Washington Football Team," from which he moved on to receive a PhD at the University of Michigan. He is the author of numerous books on American elections, including Is Voting for Young People?, recently issued in its 5th edition. His research also encompasses how elections in the United States compare to those in other established democracies.

William G. Howell is the Sydney Stein Professor of American Politics at the University of Chicago, where he serves as the director of the Center for Effective Government in the Harris School of Public Policy, the Chair of the Department of Political Science, and co-host of Not Another Politics Podcast. A member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, William has written widely on American politics and political institutions, especially the presidency. He lives in Chicago with his wife, 2 children, and dog.

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