The Enduring Democracy

THE ENDURING DEMOCRACY, 5th Edition, looks at how problems and controversies characterizing American government today have been successfully tackled in America's past, and it examines how changing demographics of America have affected its political landscape. Updates include coverage of the 2016 election results and the challenges facing the new administration; racial tensions and the responses to address them; an analysis of the policy agenda in the final two years of the Obama administration; a primer on how the polls, parties, and other elements of the political environment have been shaped by the 2016 election campaigns of Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump, new perspectives on President Obama's executive orders on immigration and gun control; and current domestic and foreign policy events, including incidents of gun violence and the growth of ISIS.

Professor Kenneth Dautrich (Ph.D., Rutgers University) teaches public opinion and public policy in the Department of Public Policy at the University of Connecticut. His research focuses on public opinion about the news media and free expression rights. He has authored a number of books and articles including THE FUTURE OF THE FIRST AMENDMENT (Roman and Littlefield, 2008), THE FIRST AMENDMENT AND THE MEDIA IN THE COURT OF PUBLIC OPINION (Cambridge University Press, 2003), and HOW THE NEWS MEDIA FAIL THE AMERICAN VOTER (Columbia University Press, 1999). He is currently finishing a book entitled THE PARADOX OF PUBLIC OPINION (Oxford University Press). Dautrich has conducted many public polls on media, voting, and public policy issues for organizations such as Time Magazine, The Freedom Forum, and a variety of state and federal government agencies. He has been a research fellow at The Freedom Forum's Media Studies Center and Rutgers University's Heldrich Center. He has also served as policy advisor for Governor Jodi Rell. His research on public attitudes about the First Amendment has been supported by the Media Studies Center and the Knight Foundation.

David A. Yalof (Ph.D., Johns Hopkins University; B.A. and J.D., University of Virginia) is professor and department head of political science at the University of Connecticut. His expertise and teaching and research interests include constitutional law, judicial politics, and the presidency. Dr. Yalof is the author of Pursuit of Justices: Presidential Politics and the Selection of Supreme Court Nominees, winner of the American Political Science Association's Richard E. Neustadt Prize for the Best Book on the Presidency. He is also the co-author of The First Amendment and the Media in the Court of Public Opinion (with Kenneth Dautrich) and The Future of the First Amendment: The Digital Media, Civic Education, and Free Expression Rights in America's High Schools (also with Ken Dautrich). Dr. Yalof has written numerous articles for publications such as Political Research Quarterly, Judicature, and Constitutional Commentary. His most recent work, Prosecution Among Friends: Presidents, Attorneys General, and Executive Branch Wrongdoing was published by the Texas A & M University Press. He is currently working on a book-length project examining the role that constitutional precedents played in the recent debate over health care reform.

Christina E. Bejarano (Ph.D. and M.A., University of Iowa; B.A., University of North Texas) is an associate professor of political science at the University of Kansas. Her research and teaching interests are in American politics, especially the areas of gender, race/ethnicity, and political behavior. She is particularly interested in studying the conditions under which racial/ethnic minorities and women successfully compete for U.S. electoral office, which is reflected in her book, The Latina Advantage: Gender, Race, and Political Success (University of Texas Press, 2013). Her work also focuses on how racial/ethnic minorities and women can shape or influence the current electoral environment, as shown in her book, The Latino Gender Gap in U.S. Politics (Routledge Press, 2014). Professor Bejarano has also written journal articles for publication in Political Research Quarterly and Politics & Gender.