000			03308cam a2200325 a 4500
001			2012024527
003			local
005			20140721143753.0
008			120711s2013 enka b 001 0 eng
010			_a 2012024527
020			_a9780195373851 (pbk. : alk. paper)
020			_a0195373855 (pbk. : alk. paper)
042			_apcc
043			_an-us---
050	0	0	_aJK275 _bV36 2013
082	0	0	_a320.473 _223
100	1		_aValelly, Richard M. _0(local)69147
245	1	0	_aAmerican politics : _ba very short introduction / _cRichard M. Valelly.
260			_aOxford ; _aNew York : _bOxford University Press, _cc2013.
300			_axv, 136 p. : _bill. ; _c18 cm.
490	1		_aVery short introductions _v350.
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (p. 113-126) and index.
505	0		_aElements of American democracy -- The presidency -- Congress and its bicameralism -- The legislative-executive process -- The Supreme Court -- Bureaucracy -- Public opinion and its influence -- Political parties and democratic choice -- The partisan revival -- Politics in the new gilded age.
520			_aAmerican politics seems to grow more contentious and complicated by the day, and whether American democracy works well is hotly debated. Amidst all this roiling partisan argument and confusing claims and counterclaims, there has never been a greater need for an impartial primer on the basics of the American political system. This Very Short Introduction gives readers a concise, accessible, and sophisticated overview of the vital elements of American democracy, emphasizing both how these elements function, their historical origins, and how they have evolved into their present forms. Richard Valelly covers all facets of America's political system: the bicameral Congress and the place of the filibuster, the legislative-executive process, the role of the Supreme Court, political parties and democratic choice, bureaucracy, the partisan revival, and the political economy. He offers as well an original analysis of the evolution of the American presidency and a fascinating chapter on the effects of public polling on political decision-making and voter representation. Valelly shows that the American political system is, and always has been, very much a work in progress--unfolding within, and also constantly updating, an eighteenth-century constitutional framework. In a refreshingly balanced and judicious assessment, he explores the strengths of American democracy while candidly acknowledging both gaps in representation and the increasing income inequality have sparked protest and intense public discussion. Finally, Valelly considers the remarkable persistence, for more than two centuries, of the basic constitutional forms established in 1787, despite the dramatic social changes that have reshaped virtually all aspects of American life. For anyone wishing to understand the nuts and bolts of how our political system works--and sometimes fails to work--this Very Short Introduction is the very best place to start.
650		7	_aPolitical science. _2fast _0(local)27984
651		0	_aUnited States _xPolitics and government. _0(local)30046
651		7	_aUnited States. _2fast _0(local)53345
830		0	_aVery short introductions ; _v350. _0(local)29719
942			_2lcc _cBK
999			_c12041 _d12041