PERSONALIZE LEARNING WITH MYPOLISCILAB Integration- To create a tighter pedagogical connection between this book and MyPoliSciLab, we integrated several new features that move students from the book to online active learning opportunities. New design- A new design simplifies the presentation of content to facilitate print and digital reading experiences. It also focuses reading by turning our book''s learning objectives into a clear learning path backed by personalized study plans on MyPoliSciLab. Videos- Videos now support the narrative in each chapter. The authors frame each chapter topic, and interviews with political scientists and everyday citizens look at interesting aspects of each topic. The videos are listed at each chapter''s start and can be watched on MyPoliSciLab. Infographics- Infographics demonstrate how political scientists use data to answer questions like "How Long Did it Take to Ratify the Constitution?" or "What Influences a President''s Public Approval?" On MyPoliSciLab, students can use interactive data to further investigate the same question. "On MyPoliSciLab"- In every chapter, On MyPoliSciLab helps students review what they just read.
In addition to a chapter summary, key term list, short quiz, and further reading list, there are reminders to use the chapter audio, practice tests, and flashcards on MyPoliSciLab. SEE WHO GETS WHAT, WHEN AND HOW IN AMERICAN POLITICS "The Game, the Rules, the Players"- This new feature in each chapter ties back to the book''s "who gets what, when, and how" framework. This feature pulls together all of the aspects of Laswell''s approach to politics by demonstrating how the decisions (the political games) made by people acting as voters, lawmakers, and executives (the players), interact with laws, policies, norms and institutional grants of authority (the rules) to create political results. Each box places a special emphasis on the role of either the game being played; the particular player; or the distinct nature of the rules in the game played to help understand the political result. ANALYZE CURRENT EVENTS Current analysis -The 2012 Election Edition features the most current analysis of American government and politics, including dramatic political conflicts in Washington D.C. and across the country, the inability of Congress to pass a new budget and the growth of the budget deficit, the passage of the Obama Administration''s landmark accomplishment-the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act , landmark Supreme Court decisions on campaign financing, and of course, the expensive and bitterly contested November elections. Anecdotes - Every chapter now opens with an anecdote that provides contemporary context to the content of every chapter.
Stories are told of public policy changes in areas as different as expanding rail travel and taxing cigarettes you roll yourself; war veterans who can''t vote because of voter identification laws; Wisconsinites constantly voting on recalling their government; stories of young politicians who succeeded and failed because of their ambitions and their authenticity; and the expanding role of government into healthcare, social relief, and counterterrorism. Photos -Over 30% of the photos in this edition are new. They capture major events from the last few years, of course, but to illustrate politics'' relevancy, they show political actors and processes as well as people affected by politics, creating a visual narrative that enhances rather than repeats the text. Data-- The data in all of the figures and tables have been updated throughout. Chapter-by-Chapter Changes CHAPTER 1, " WHO GETS WHAT, WHEN, AND HOW" New opening vignette on who is getting what from politics. Revised coverage places additional emphasis on the modern political debate over the size and growth of the government: is it getting too big? Who is benefiting from government getting big? New box, Who''s Getting What? Can You Trust the Government? examines recent data on trends in declining government trust. Updated feature Who''s Getting What? Sometimes its right to disobey the law places increased comparative emphasis on social protest abroad and the "Occupy Wall Street" social movement. New feature Compared to What: Political Freedom or Economic Freedom? incorporates new data on press freedom and civil liberties freedom from Freedom House with data on economic liberty from the conservative Heritage Foundation to identify similar and dissimilar cases of countries that are "free" according to these ideologically distinct measures.
Updated feature Politics Up Close: Confidence in American Institutions incorporates new polling data on confidence in political and nonpolitical institutions in the United States. New Simulation: You Are A Candidate For Congress New Explorer Infographic and MyPoliSciLab Exercise: How Do You Measure Freedom? New Core Concept Videos available on MyPoliSciLab : The Big Picture What would happen if a majority were to vote against gays, Jews, or some other minority group? Would America stick to its traditional democratic processes or to its Constitution? In exploring this "Paradox of Democracy," author Thomas R. Dye discusses the complex relationship between America''s processes and values. The Basics What function does government serve? In this video, you will analyze this question and explore the core values that shape our political system and how the growing diversity of our population is changing -- and reaffirming-the definition of what it means to be American. In Context Where did the basic principles of American government come from? Boston University political scientist Neta C. Crawford uncovers the Greek, Roman, and Iroquois roots of our political system. She also traces the expansion of the concept of accountability since the birth of the nation. Thinking Like A Political Scientist Find out how and why research on American politics has shifted.
Boston University political scientist Neta C. Crawford discusses how scholars who once focused on voters and institutions are now looking at deliberation as the primary indicator of the health of a democratic system. In the Real World What is the government''s function in everyday life? Real people share their opinions on how involved the federal government should be in education by evaluating the effectiveness of the No Child Left Behind Act, which encourages standardized testing. So What? There is more to democracy than just "majority rule" and "one person, one vote". What about the Constitutional rights and freedoms our democracy affords? Author Thomas R. Dye explains how an understanding of these liberties is one of the most powerful defense mechanisms a student can have throughout his or her life. CHAPTER 2, " POLITICAL CULTURE: IDEAS IN CONFLICT" New chapter opening vignette discussing what it means to be an American. Discusses different approaches to defining political culture, including culture theory, and how the American culture influences the political system.
This is most prominent in subheads "A Clash of Cultures," "Moralism to Relativism," and "Culture Wars" in the last substantive section of the Chapter. New box What Do You Think? American Exceptionalism explores competing visions of the American national identify, and the concept of American exceptionalism as embodied in the American Creed and the lack of development of a European-style social welfare state in the United States. New Box Who''s Getting What? Spreading Wealth Around examines the historic appeal for redistributive policies not just by recent social liberals, but also by iconic southern liberal Huey P. Long. Feature box Compared to What? Income and Inequality updated to describe the declining American ranking in per capita wealth and the relative income inequality of the United States compared to other countries. Feature box Who''s Getting What? Getting Ahead in America has been updated, and examines the prospect for income mobility among Americans. New box Who''s Getting What? One American Identity or an America of Identities? The Smithsonian describes the Smithsonian''s increased emphasis on cultural and social diversity, and how this leads to ideological responses from politicians and critics. New box The Game, the Rules, the Players: Pundit versus Pundit examines the career paths of cable news ideological standard bearers Sean Hannity and Rachel Maddow.
New box What Do You Think? Got Grid? explains "culture theory" in American political science and how students might place themselves, ideologically, on a more sophisticated ideological spectrum than just "left-right." Box feature A Constitutional Note: Natural Born Versus Naturalized Citizenship looks at the different forms of citizenship and how and why the distinction enters presidential politics. New Simulation: You Are A City Council Member.