Features: Famous, highly-respected author, Morris Fiorina, continues to helm this book. His acclaim, exposure, and influence – bolstered by the success of his other Longman text, Culture War? The Myth of a Polarized America– help to make this book one of the most prestigious American government books available. Elegant, two-colordesignunderscores the prestige of the title, avoids clutter or “pandering” to students, and offers a look and feel that is appealing to faculty who know and admire Fiorina and Peterson’s work. Chapter-opening vignettesintroduce the subject matter with high-interest issues such as Hurricane Katrina (Chapter 3) and the role of race and gender in the 2008 campaign. “Making the Connection”features follow each vignette, relating its themes to the chapter content and preparing students for the material to follow. “Election Voices.” Fifteen essays presenting opposing viewpoints on controversial political topics – supplemented with critical thinking questions to encourage students to formulate their own opinions – constitute a “debate style reader built into the text for free. “International Comparison.

”These boxes compare elements of American Government with similar elements in other countries, putting the U.S. system in global context and giving students a better understanding of its strengths and limitations. “Election Connection.”Illustrating the book’s focus on electoral forces, these features describe the relationship between elections and institutions or policies using real-life examples such as the Harriet Miers nomination to the Supreme Court. Marginal definitionsare provided for key terms that are boldfaced in the text and included in the end-of-book Glossary. On the Websections at the end of each chapter direct readers to Web sites where they can find more information on the topics discussed. Chapter Summary, Key Terms, and annotated Suggested Readingsare also found at the end of each chapter.

MyPoliSciLabaccess comes at no additional charge when an access card is packaged with the book. New to this Edition: More theory and foundations in Chapter 1.Chapter 1 now includes more foundational coverage of the basic functions of government, as well as expanded coverage of the classic types of government and modern types of democracy. Expanded, in-depth international coverage, including many more “International Comparison” boxes,enhances this book’s strong comparative aspect, helps students develop a more global perspective on government and politics. Several International Comparison boxes have been expanded, and many are now accompanied by maps to build students’ geographical skills. Enhanced, interactive graphs and charts!The book’s already superior figures have also been redesigned with a bolder, more modern look, captions that highlight the key ideas of the graphic, and questions that call for analysis of the data. Five new “Election Voices” essaysexplore the election and its impact on controversial issues like the drinking age, lobbying restrictions, direct democracy, affirmative action and the question of whether judges should be elected. An expanded “Election Connection” box discusses Federalism and The Homeland Security Grant Program.

Updated and expanded material throughoutfurther bolsters the elections theme and provides the latest coverage on such topics as immigration, public opinion on the Iraq war, blogosphere and podcasts in politics, recent Supreme Court decisions, the end of the George W. Bush administration, and the 2008 Presidential Election results.