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Politics of Power A Critical Introduction to American Government

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ISBN-10: 0155016989

ISBN-13: 9780155016989

Edition: 4th 2002

Authors: Ira Katznelson, Mark Kesselman, Alan Draper

List price: $58.95
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This text provides a comprehensive description of the American political system, including major political institutions, processes, and policies. Unlike other introductory American politics textbooks, it develops a critical analysis of how American democracy is limited by fundamental inequalities in power and economic resources. The book highlights the connections between American politics and the organization of the economy. This fourth edition retains the author's critical perspective, describing American politics during the Clinton presidency and policy changes initiated in the Bush presidency.
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Book details

List price: $58.95
Edition: 4th
Copyright year: 2002
Publisher: Wadsworth
Publication date: 10/1/2001
Binding: Paperback
Pages: 432
Size: 6.25" wide x 9.75" long x 0.75" tall
Weight: 1.232
Language: English

Ira Katznelson is Ruggles Professor of Political Science and History at Columbia University. He is the author of many books, including Marxism and the Cityand the award-winning Liberalism's Crooked Circle: Letters to Adam Michnik.He has served as president of the Social Science History Association and of the Politics and History Section of the American Political Science Association.

Mark Kesselman is senior editor of the International Political Science Review and professor emeritus of political science at Columbia University. His research focuses on the political economy of French and European politics. His publications include The Ambiguous Consensus (1967), The French Workers Movement (1984), The Politics of Globalization: A Reader (2012), and The Politics of Power (2013). His articles have appeared in The American Political Science Review, World Politics, and Comparative Politics.

Democracy's Challengep. 1
Introductionp. 1
Titanic Inequalitiesp. 4
Democracy and Capitalismp. 8
Standards of Democracyp. 10
Change, and More Changep. 14
Conclusionp. 18
Introduction to American Political Economyp. 21
Global Capitalism and American Politicsp. 27
Introductionp. 27
The System of Capitalismp. 28
The Mobilization of Biasp. 35
Corporate Capitalismp. 39
Who Owns America's Private Government?p. 44
The Professionalization of Capitalp. 45
The Structure of Employmentp. 48
Conflict and Cohesionp. 51
The Unstable Character of Capitalismp. 54
The Current Situationp. 56
Conclusionp. 59
The American State and Corporate Capitalismp. 61
Introductionp. 61
The First Wave of Expansionp. 64
Stagnation and Challengep. 65
The Second Wave of Expansionp. 67
Corporate Capitalism Unravelsp. 68
A New Dealp. 70
The Road Not Takenp. 72
Conservative Keynesianismp. 74
The Golden Age of Capitalismp. 75
Economic Policy Makingp. 7
Fiscal Policyp. 78
The Budget Processp. 81
Monetary Policyp. 84
The End of the Golden Age of Capitalismp. 87
Reaganomicsp. 88
Clintonomicsp. 90
The Global Marketplacep. 92
Conclusionp. 95
The Many Faces of Political Participationp. 99
Movement for Change: Workers and Workp. 101
Introductionp. 101
Work Transformed: The Decline of the Independent Middle Classp. 104
Creating Unionsp. 107
The Growth and Decline of Unionsp. 112
Future Labor Prospectsp. 122
Social Movements and Democratic Citizenshipp. 126
Conclusionp. 130
Political Parties, Elections, and Movementsp. 133
Introductionp. 133
The Disappearing American Voterp. 135
Party Systemsp. 138
A Two-Party Systemp. 139
Critical Electionsp. 141
Party Decayp. 142
The Decline of Party Organizationp. 144
Party Structure and Orientationp. 145
Money and Electionsp. 148
The PAC Phenomenonp. 153
Media and Electionsp. 156
Political Consultantsp. 158
The Rise and Fall of the New Deal Coalitionp. 160
A New Republican Partyp. 162
A Magical Mystery Tour: the 2000 Presidential Electionp. 164
Contemporary Party Coalitionsp. 168
A Postelectoral Era?p. 172
Conclusionp. 174
Political Institutionsp. 177
The Presidency: Imperial or Imperiled?p. 181
Introductionp. 181
The Historical Presidencyp. 185
The Imperial President?p. 188
The Imperiled Presidentp. 193
Presidential Stylesp. 196
Bill Clinton as Presidentp. 198
The Exercise of Presidential Powerp. 200
The President's Response: End-Running the Bureaucracyp. 211
Behind the Velvet Glovep. 214
Conclusionp. 215
Congressp. 217
Introductionp. 217
The Origins of Congressp. 220
The Historical Congressp. 228
Congress as a Careerp. 232
Money and Congressional Electionsp. 233
Safe Seats and Turnoverp. 235
Members of Congressp. 237
The Legislative Processp. 242
How a Bill Becomes Lawp. 243
The Senatep. 247
The House of Representativesp. 253
Congress, the Bureaucracy, and Interest Groupsp. 259
Lobbying and Congressp. 261
Conclusionp. 263
The Judiciaryp. 265
Introductionp. 265
Politics and the Lawp. 269
A Dual Court Systemp. 270
The Law and the Development of American Capitalismp. 278
The Supreme Court in Historyp. 280
The Modern Court: From Warren to Rehnquistp. 285
Politics by Lawsuitp. 292
Conclusionp. 294
Public Policyp. 297
Corporate Capitalism, Foreign Policy, and the Global Political Economyp. 299
Introductionp. 299
American Foreign Policy Before World War IIp. 302
Cold War Rivalryp. 304
Global Expansion and the Invisible Empirep. 306
A New Era of Globalization?p. 308
Globalization and Multinational Corporationsp. 311
Multinational Corporationsp. 315
The Military Establishmentp. 316
Political and Economic Influencep. 319
The Military-Industrial Complexp. 319
Foreign Policy in the Post--Cold War Erap. 323
Rationalizing and Restructuring American Military Dominancep. 325
The New Global Economy: Whose Globalization?p. 328
Promoting Democracy Abroadp. 332
Conclusionp. 334
The Welfare Statep. 335
Introductionp. 335
The Historical Welfare Statep. 342
The New Dealp. 343
Conservative and Liberal Welfare Statesp. 347
Beyond the New Dealp. 349
The Great Society and Its Backlashp. 355
Clinton Democrats and the Welfare Statep. 361
Conclusionp. 364
Conclusion: American Politics, Past, Present, and Futurep. 367
Introductionp. 367
The Reagan Revolution?p. 369
The New Politics of Inequalityp. 370
The Clinton-Gore Administration: Bold Centrism or Broken Compact?p. 372
The Compassionate Conservatism of the Bush Presidencyp. 381
Conclusionp. 384
Creditsp. 385
Indexp. 387
Table of Contents provided by Syndetics. All Rights Reserved.