A collection of readings that balance "classics" of political science with more contemporary analyses of current politics and public policy. The collection of readings takes a logical approach to the American political system.
Preface xiii Designing Institutions 1(58) From The Logic of Collective Action 2(13) Mancur Olson, Jr. In an excerpt from his classic work of 1965, Mancur Olson explains why groups often have difficulty achieving their collective goals, even when agreement among their members is widespread From Analyzing Politics 15(11) Kenneth A. Shepsle Mark S. Bonchek Kenneth Shepsle and Mark Bonchek present possible remedies to various collective action problem Everything Must Go! 26(5) Beth Dickey Beth Dickey illustrates the governments efforts to translate a principle into practice by privatizing various functions and agencies of NASA The Tragedy of the Commons 31(14) Garrett Hardin In another classic work, Garrett Hardin uses the idea of the ``tragedy of the commons to explain why public goods are so often misused Quotas Might Save both Fish and Fishers 45(4) John McQuaid In an article from a Pulitzer winning series, John McQuaid portrays a real-life manifestation of the tragedy of the commons---the overuse of ocean fisheries---and describes the efforts of federal and state governments to remedy the problem The Prosperous Community: Social Capital and Public Life 49(10) Robert D. Putnam Robert Putnam stresses the importance of mutual trust in solving collective action problems The Constitutional Framework 59(25) James Madison Explains the Constitution to Thomas Jefferson 60(12) In a letter to Jefferson, Madison relates the most important conflicts and decisions at the Constitutional Convention Trading Votes at the Constitutional Convention 72(12) William Riker William Rikers story of regional economic conflict at the Constitutional Convention illustrates how self-interested politics, as well as political theory, played a role in the framing of the Constitution Federalism 84(50) The Rediscovery of American Federalism 85(25) Samuel Beer Samuel Beer examines the tension between the concept of federalism and the notion that Americans have constituted themselves into a single, national community Federalism as an Ideal Political Order and an Objective for Constitutional Reform 110(10) James M. Buchanan Nobel laureate economist James M. Buchanan makes a case for federalism based on a ``market model of governments Beyond the Welfare Clock 120(8) Jonathan Walters Walters evaluates the impact of devolution in the area of welfare policy The Federalization of Criminal Laws 128(6) John J. Mountjoy John Mountjoy, providing a contrast to the case of welfare policy, explores the growth of laws federalizing crimes formerly considered to lie within the jurisdiction of the states and local communities Civil Rights 134(33) Understanding Whites Resistance to Affirmative Action 135(18) Laura Stoker Laura Stoker reports the results of a survey experiment testing whether white voters who favor ending affirmative action policies are motivated by ideas of fairness or by racism Desegregation Is Dead 153(12) Megan Twohey Megan Twohey examines the countervailing social forces that appear to be reestablishing segregated schooling in many communities High Court Upholds Minority Districts 165(2) Caroline E. Brown Caroline Brown reports on a recent Supreme Court ruling upholding the rights of states to create minority-majority congressional districts Civil Liberties 167(77) The Mysterious Case of Establishment Clause Litigation: How Organized Litigants Foiled Legal Change 168(33) Joseph F. Kobylka Joseph Kobylka investigates why the Supreme Courts religious establishment policy has not been responsive to its political environment The Real World of Constitutional Rights: The Supreme Court and the Implementation of the Abortion Decisions 201(34) Gerald N. Rosenberg Gerald Rosenberg examines the political and legal environment surrounding abortion policy, still a source of conflict thirty years after Roe v. Wade Privacy, Please: Thinking about a Troublesome Concept 235(9) Richard A. Epstein Richard Epstein argues against the extension of privacy rights by the courts on the grounds that those seeking the potentially restricted information often have a legitimate need to access it Congress 244(90) The Senate in Bicameral Perspective 245(27) Richard F. Fenno, Jr. Richard Fenno introduces the differences between the House and the Senate that originate in the Constitution and explores the implications of these differences for governing and campaigning from Congress: The Electoral Connection 272(10) David R. Mayhew In an excerpt from his classic work, David Mayhew argues that legislators efforts to gain reelection produce predictable behavior while in office Party Leaders and the New Legislative Process 282(20) Barbara Sinclair Barbara Sinclair details recent changes in congressional policy making and provides a glimpse of how party leaders have adapted to the new policy-making environment Toward More Accountable Members 302(32) Fred R. Harris Former senator Fred Harris argues against imposing term limits on members of Congress The Presidency 334(51) from Presidential Power 335(24) Richard E. Neustadt Richard Neustadt shows that successful presidential leadership depends on the ability to persuade from Going Public 359(19) Samuel Kernell Samuel Kernell observes that modern presidents, in their efforts to persuade other politicians to adopt their policy preferences, often ``go public, a set of activities borrowed from presidential election campaigns What Seemed Like a Good Idea Haunts the GOP Establishment 378(7) Gerald F. Seib John Harwood Gerald Seib and John Harwood describe how supporters of Texas governor George W. Bushs presidential bid adjusted the primary calendar and rules---in hopes of gaining an advantage for their candidate---and inadvertently created an opening for Sen. John McCain, nearly costing Bush the nomination The Bureaucracy 385(69) from Bureaucracy: What Government Agencies Do and Why They Do It 386(26) James Q. Wilson James Wilson shows the causes and consequences of discretion and arbitrariness, and of rules and inefficiencies, in modern bureaucracies The Politics of Bureaucratic Structure 412(17) Terry M. Moe Terry Moe argues that the federal bureaucracy is not structured on the basis of a theory of public administration but instead is the product of politics from The True Size of Government 429(25) Paul C. Light Paul Light shows that government-contracted, private sector jobs have replaced many traditional government positions and explains the political forces behind the creation of the ``shadow government. The Judiciary 454(48) from The Choices Justices Make 455(14) Lee Epstein Jack Knight In a case study of the internal politics of the Supreme Court, Lee Epstein and Jack Knight explain how the strategic actions of justices influence their decisions from The Supreme Court 469(29) Lawrence Baum Lawrence Baum argues that Supreme Court justices often account for the likely response of other political institutions as they craft their decisions, in order to improve the chance that their prescriptions will be implemented Why Its Getting Harder to Appoint Judges 498(4) Stuart Taylor, Jr. After examining partisan battles over judicial appointments, Stuart Taylor concludes that the presidency and Congress have reached new heights of political intransigence Public Opinion 502(96) Analyzing and Interpreting Polls 503(32) Herbert Asher Herbert Asher explains the common ways that polls are misinterpreted and misused Gender and Public Opinion 535(21) Kristi Andersen Kristi Anderson reviews the recent history of gender differences in political opinion and behavior and describes how womens groups exploited early polling results Disconnected Politics: Public Opinion and Presidents 556(22) Lyn Ragsdale Lyn Ragsdale evaluates the implications of her finding that, as the influence of polls has grown, presidents have found public opinion both more important and less manageable Dynamic Representation 578(17) James A. Stimson Michael B. Mackuen Robert S. Erikson This important and creative study measures the correlation between public preferences and government behavior Poll Positions: Leaders Over Dependence on Public Opinion 595(3) Jean Bethke Elshtain Jean Bethke Elshtain analyzes the question of whether leaders are too responsive to public opinion polls Voting, Campaigns, and Elections 598(25) from The Reasoning Voter 599(8) Samuel L. Popkin Samuel Popkin argues that, in a world of imperfect and incomplete information, voters rely on shortcuts to make decisions. His depiction of the decision-making processes of voters helps to explain the character of campaigns and other features of American politics Rules of the Game 607(9) James A. Barnes James Barnes outlines the causes and consequences of the ``frontloading of presidential primaries Should Election Day Be a Holiday? 616(7) Martin P. Wattenberg In scrutinizing a proposal to make election day a holiday, Martin Wattenberg provides a useful introduction to the problem of low voter turnout Political Parties 623(61) from Why Parties? 624(14) John H. Aldrich John Aldrich describes the political problems that parties solve for candidates and voters National Party Organizations at the Centurys End 638(33) Paul S. Herrnson Paul Herrnson explains how American political parties have adapted to the new world of candidate-centered campaigns Of Political Parties Great and Small 671(13) Everett Carll Ladd Everett Carll Ladd challenges the conventional wisdom that modern political parties have become too weak Interest Groups 684(57) The Scope and Bias of the Pressure System 685(10) E. E. Schattschneider In a still-relevant piece from the 1960s, E. E. Schattschneider argues that moneyed interests dominated midcentury politics by controlling the agenda and influencing policymakers The Evolution of Interest Groups 695(9) John R. Wright John Wright surveys the development of interest groups in America, emphasizing the conflicting forces of collective action problems and societal disturbances From Big Bird to Bill Gates: Organized Interests and the Emergence of Hyperpolitics 704(14) Allan J. Cigler Burdett A. Loomis Allan Cigler and Burdett Loomis explore the implications of the explosive growth of interests groups and of fundamental changes in interest group organization The Money Culture 718(23) Elizabeth Drew Elizabeth Drew argues that the influence of money has had a corrosive effect on American government and politics The News Media 741(1) Is Journalism Hopelessly Cynical? 742(10) Michael Schudson Michael Schudson explains how market forces and recent changes in journalisms character have contributed to a possibly irreversible trend toward ever-increasing cynicism Market Research and the Audience for Political News 752(22) Doug Underwood Doug Underwood analyzes the decrease in political news reporting available to the American public, exploring both supply and demand side factors Beaten: Washington Bureaus Have Largely Abandoned Agencies 774(9) John Herbers James McCartney John Herbers and James McCartney describe the decline of the institution of beat reporting as Washington bureaus move to softer, topical reporting Low Score 783 James B. Kelleher James Kelleher recounts an instance in which the beat system failed to alert the public to important changes in federal education policy
