Promise and Performance of American Democracy - Softcover

Bond, Jon R.; Smith, Kevin B.

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0495567876 ISBN 13: 9780495567875

Publisher: Cengage Learning, 2009

Synopsis

Is our American democracy measuring up to its promise? In PROMISE AND PERFORMANCE OF AMERICAN DEMOCRACY, 9th Edition, the authors give you all the information and help you need to decide for yourself. Current and insightful, this book includes fascinating information and analysis of the recent presidential election, the party in control of Congress, and key issues such as immigration, education, and more. The authors use political science theories to help you truly understand our democracy's "promise" and "performance" so you get a real sense of how political scientists study the processes, politics, influences, and institutions of American government.

About this title

About the Author:

Jon R. Bond, professor of political science at Texas A&M University, received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. His research analyzes the policy-making process and the operation of democracy in American politics. Professor Bond has published articles on presidential-congressional relations, congressional elections, and public policy in the discipline's major journals. He is coauthor of THE PRESIDENT IN THE LEGISLATIVE ARENA, and coeditor of POLARIZED POLITICS: CONGRESS AND THE PRESIDENT IN A PARTISAN ERA, and INSTITUTIONAL GAMES AND THE U.S. SUPREME COURT. In 1987 and 1988, Dr. Bond was An APSA Congressional Fellow, working on the staffs of Senator Lloyd Bentsen and Representative Norman Mineta. He has served as coeditor of the JOURNAL OF POLITICS, and as president of the Southern Political Science Association, the oldest regional political science association, and Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society.

Review:

"The writing style in the Bond/Smith text is one of its main strengths. The narrative is cohesive and my students find it more enjoyable than most of their other textbooks. I am particularly impressed by the ability of the authors to convey some of the most challenging political science theories and research to undergraduate students in easily understood language. . . . I enjoy the authors' theme, as it is well-integrated throughout the text. . . .The promise and performance assessment sections help keep the narrative alive throughout the text."

"I am gratified to see that the authors seem to be completely on the same page with me regarding how to teach this Intro course. In many ways, their experiences seem to correspond to my own, and the things that they wish to emphasize match the ideas that are important to my teaching. I think that the overarching structure of comparing the promise of a given aspect of American politics to its real-world performance is a sensible one, and it models for students how to be thoughtful and discerning consumers of political information. In every aspect of the political world, there is the goal and there is the reality. Students should be aware of the goal and at the same time, they should be equipped to assess how close or distant it is from the reality through careful and objective examination of data. . . . I tell students that it is much better to examine the evidence critically and then come to some reasoned conclusion about which parts are working well and which are in need of some attention. The promise and performance framework fits this nicely."

"This text does all that an introductory text should do and then some. Most American government textbooks are broadly interchangeable--they cover the same material with little variation. In the case of this textbook, there is that little extra. The thing that impressed me is the way the authors have distilled important political science research for a general audience of undergraduates. Exposing students to competing models at an early stage in their studies can be a good way to model for them how the social sciences operate. Rather than simply writing down "the right answer" to spit back on an exam, students get a chance to see that political scientists are part of an ongoing process of inquiry into how to explain political behavior and political phenomena. . . . This [book] features some of the most timely topics from today's headlines along with some of the most recent research findings. It does an exceptional job of providing lots of data for students to pour over in a series of tables and figures."

"I think this book has a lot of strengths. . . .The color graphics and photos are excellent, the thematic development is consistent, and the integration of political science research is unmatched in the American government textbook market."

"Overall, I believe the Bond and Smith book is well balanced, well researched and nicely written so that students not exposed to the material will find it interesting, engaging and assessable."

About this edition

• Publisher: Cengage Learning
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 0495567876
• ISBN 13: 9780495567875
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 704