Is This Any Way To Run A Democ

Written by well known presidency scholar, Stephen Wayne, this brief text offers an overview of major issues concerning electoral politics and suggests ways to close the gap between democratic theory and political practice. Key topics include political participation, the role of money, the importance of political parties, and the role of the media. Updated discussion includes controversies that arose from the 2000 Presidential election, such as voter turnout, representational bias, voting irregularities, the role of special interest groups, soft money and the campaign finance reform debate, and the impact of the Internet.

• Each chapter begins with a Did You Know That...? vignette of facts related to the chapter topic that provide a background for students.
• Each chapter contains discussion questions and topics for debate to encourage student reflection.
• Two internet exercises have been added to each chapter.

Stephen J. Wayne is a well known author and lecturer on the American presidency. A professor of government at Georgetown University since 1988 and a Washington-based insider for almost 40 years, Wayne has written or edited 11 books, many in multiple editions, authored over 100 articles, chapters, and reviews that have appeared in professional journals, scholarly compilations, newspapers, and magazines. At Georgetown, Wayne teaches courses in the area of American government, specializing on the presidency, and psychology and politics.

Professor Wayne is frequently quoted by White House journalists, regularly appears on television and radio news shows. He lectures widely at home and aboard to international visitors, college students, federal executives, and business leaders. He has testified before Congress on the subject of presidential elections and governance and before Democratic and Republican Party advisory committees on the presidential nomination processes. He served as a consultant on presidential staffing in the United States and abroad and participated in transition projects for the National Academy of Public Administration and the Presidency Research Group.