Analyzing American Democracy: Politics and Political Science

This is an introductory American politics text covering the constitutional framework of American government, political behavior and informal institutions, the formal institutions of American government, and a concluding chapter on public policy. Every chapter highlights the most current thinking in political science research and discusses related public policy.

This text teaches students to think analytically by presenting current political science theories and research in answering the engaging, big questions facing American politics today. It serves as an introduction to the discipline by reflecting the theoretical developments and types of empirical inquiry conducted by researchers.

New to the Third Edition: 

• 2016 and 2018 election updates and analysis of their political and policy impact
• Social media’s growing influence on politics
• The impact of the alt-right and rising populism on elections and policy
• New trends in public opinion
• Weakening of the Voting Rights Act
• Campaign finance upheaval
• The changing congressional landscape
• Updated tables, figures, and photos present the empirical details of American politics, helping students gain quantitative literacy
• Landmark court cases, now highlighted and linked to key concepts
• Refreshed feature boxes reinforce the book’s dedication to helping students understand the scientific approach to politics, incorporating intriguing new topics including genetics and public opinion, the biology of political participation, and evolution and the bureaucracy

Jon R. Bond received his Ph.D. from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign and is currently a professor of political science at Texas A&M University. His research analyzes the policy making process and the operation of democracy in American politics. Specifically, he is interested in the interactions of American political institutions, especially Congress and the presidency, and how electoral motivations affect democratic responsiveness in American political institutions. He has published more than three-dozen chapters and journal articles on presidential-congressional relations, congressional elections, and public policy. He served as president of Pi Sigma Alpha, the national political science honor society from 2006–2008, and president of the Southern Political Science Association, the oldest regional political science association from 2006–2007.

Kevin B. Smith received his Ph.D. from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and is currently a professor of political science at the University of Nebraska–Lincoln, where he is also co-director of the UNL Political Science Physiology Lab. His primary research focus is on the biology of political attitudes and behavior. Smith is the recipient of his university’s College of Arts & Sciences Outstanding Research and Creative Achievement Award.