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Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy, 18th edition

Published by Pearson (April 15, 2021) © 2022

  • George C. Edwards 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 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 author

Hallmark features of this title

  • Chapter-opening vignettes emphasize the significance of government and the importance of 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.
  • 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.
  • Learn the Terms/Aprender el Vocabulario flashcards, in both English and Spanish, offer a dynamic way to engage with the lexicon of American government.

New and updated features of this title

  • NEW: New and updated material covers important recent developments including the 2020 presidential and congressional elections, the coronavirus pandemic and the increasing role of ideology in voting behavior.
  • UPDATED: In order to ensure an up-to-date presentation of information, the authors updated the narrative, figures and tables to reflect the most current available data. In addition, they reference the latest scholarly studies throughout the text.
  • UPDATED: Chapter 13, on the budget, has been thoroughly updated to reflect the central importance of taxing and spending in American government and the core issues of the fiscal and debt crises.
  • NEW: A Student Guide to Reading Charts and Graphs helps readers learn how to better decode visual presentations of information.

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 has been thoroughly revised to incorporate political developments and scholarship since 2020, with new material on:
    • The 2022 congressional elections and the Biden presidency
    • Critical Supreme Court decisions on abortion, free exercise of religion and defendants' rights
    • Current policies on health care, budgeting, immigration, environmental protection and the war in Ukraine
    • The reemergence of high inflation after 2020 and its political impact
  • UPDATED: Pearson Originals for Political Science videos with new video quizzes illustrate complex concepts like federalism and gerrymandering in a simplified and entertaining way.

Features of Revel for the 18th 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 and The Big Picture videos illuminate key topics in an engaging manner.

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

  1. Public Opinion and Political Action
  2. The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
  3. Political Parties
  4. Campaigns and Voting Behavior
  5. Interest Groups

PART III. THE POLICYMAKERS

  1. Congress
  2. The Presidency
  3. The Budget. The Politics of Taxing and Spending
  4. The Federal Bureaucracy
  5. The Federal Courts

PART IV. POLICIES

  1. Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
  2. Policymaking for Health Care, the Environment, and Energy
  3. 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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