The Logic of American Politics

Description

This new edition of the bestselling The Logic of American Politics is thoroughly updated and covers the dramatic 2016 election results with a thorough analysis of those results. It arms students with a revised introduction to institutional design that makes concepts such as command, veto, agenda control, voting rules, and delegation easier for students to master and apply, so they clearly see how the American political system was devised and why it works the way it does. Authors Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser, and Lynn Vavreck build students' critical thinking through a simple yet powerful idea: politics is about solving collective action problems. This new edition continues to delve into partisan differences among voters and in government and highlight the increasingly partisan nature of campaigns. By exploring issues such as the Affordable Care Act’s troubled implementation, the increasing legalization of marijuana and same-sex marriage in the states, and the debate over immigration, the book illustrates how the institutional structures of government, federalism, and even campaigns can help voters make sense of their choices. The concluding chapter on policymaking examines the noticeable logic that guides American policy, as shown through issues like health care reform, global climate change, and the federal budget. Students glean insights into the sources of policy problems, identify possible solutions, and realize why agreement on those solutions is often so hard to achieve. Preface......Page 22 A Note to Students......Page 39 Chapter 1: The Logic of American Politics......Page 44 The Importance of Institutional Design......Page 51 Authority versus Power......Page 55 The Political System’s Logic......Page 57 Collective Action Problems......Page 59 Coordination......Page 61 The Prisoner’s Dilemma......Page 70 ▶ Logic of Politics: Hobbes on Monarchs......Page 73 ▶ Politics to Policy: Google Proposes a Library in a Cloud......Page 77 The Costs of Collective Action......Page 83 Transaction Costs......Page 85 Conformity Costs......Page 87 Representative Government......Page 92 The Work of Government......Page 95 ▶ Politics to Policy: Fire Protection: From a Private to a Public Good......Page 96 Collective Action and America’s Constitution......Page 98 Nota Bene......Page 101 Key Terms......Page 102 Suggested Readings......Page 103 Review Questions......Page 104 Part 1. The Nationalization of Politics......Page 105 Chapter 2: The Constitution......Page 106 The Road to Independence......Page 111 A Legacy of Self-Governance......Page 112 Dismantling Home Rule......Page 116 The Continental Congresses......Page 120 The Declaration of Independence......Page 122 America’s First Constitution: The Articles of Confederation......Page 124 The Confederation at War......Page 127 The Confederation’s Troubled Peace......Page 130 Drafting a New Constitution......Page 136 Philosophical Influences......Page 137 Getting Down to Business......Page 138 The Virginia and New Jersey Plans......Page 140 The Great Compromise......Page 143 ▶ Logic of Politics: Checks and Balances in the Constitution......Page 145 Designing the Executive Branch......Page 146 Designing the Judicial Branch......Page 153 Substantive Issues......Page 155 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Logrolling a Constitution......Page 157 Amending the Constitution......Page 162 The Fight for Ratification......Page 164 The Federalist and Antifederalist Debate......Page 165 The Influence of The Federalist......Page 170 The Theory Underlying the Constitution......Page 172 Federalist No. 10......Page 173 Federalist No. 51......Page 179 Designing Institutions for Collective Action: The Framers’ Tool Kit......Page 183 Command......Page 184 Veto......Page 188 Agenda Control......Page 190 Voting Rules......Page 192 Delegation......Page 194 The Constitution Begins the Nationalization of American Politics......Page 196 Key Terms......Page 198 Suggested Readings......Page 199 Review Questions......Page 201 Chapter 3: Federalism......Page 202 American-Style Federalism......Page 209 Evolving Definitions of Federalism......Page 214 Federalism and the Constitution......Page 218 Transformation of the Senate......Page 219 Constitutional Provisions Governing Federalism......Page 220 Interpreting the Constitution’s Provisions......Page 224 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Chris Christie and an Ambitious Governor’s Dilemma......Page 230 The Paths to Nationalization......Page 233 Historic Transfers of Policy to Washington......Page 237 Nationalization—The Solution to States’ Collective Dilemmas......Page 241 ▶ Politics to Policy: Free Federal Dollars? No Thanks, I’ll Take Political Currency Instead......Page 243 The Political Logic of Nationalization......Page 251 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Texas Takes on All Comers: Governor Rick Perry’s Business Pitch......Page 252 Modern Federalism......Page 257 The National Government’s Advantage in the Courts......Page 259 Preemption Legislation......Page 261 The Carrot: Federal Grants to the States......Page 263 ▶ Politics to Policy: States’ Rights Meet Reading, Writing, and ’Rithmetic: The Battle over the Common Core......Page 265 The Stick: Unfunded Mandates......Page 269 Evolving Federalism: A By-Product of National Policy......Page 275 ▶ Politics to Policy: Who Pays for Government? Comparing State and Federal Tax Burdens......Page 277 Suggested Readings......Page 280 Review Questions......Page 282 Chapter 4: Civil Rights......Page 283 What Are Civil Rights?......Page 290 The Civil Rights of African Americans......Page 292 The Politics of Black Civil Rights......Page 294 The Height of Slavery: 1808–1865......Page 295 ▶ Strategy and Choice: The Emancipation Proclamation......Page 303 Reconstruction: 1865–1877......Page 306 The Jim Crow Era and Segregation: 1877–1933......Page 311 Democratic Party Sponsorship of Civil Rights: 1933–1940s......Page 314 Emergence of a Civil Rights Coalition: 1940s–1950s......Page 321 The Civil Rights Movement: 1960s......Page 327 ▶ Politics to Policy: The 1964 Civil Rights Act and Integration of Public Schools......Page 335 Current Civil Rights Policy......Page 344 The Legacy of the Civil Rights Movement......Page 357 Equal Rights for Women: The Right to Vote......Page 359 The Modern History of Women’s Rights......Page 361 Rights for Hispanics......Page 367 Gay Rights......Page 371 Challenging Tyranny......Page 375 Suggested Readings......Page 377 Review Questions......Page 379 Chapter 5: Civil Liberties......Page 380 Nationalization of Civil Liberties......Page 384 The Bill of Rights Checks Majority Rule......Page 386 Writing Rights and Liberties into the Constitution......Page 400 The First Ten Amendments......Page 402 Incorporation via the Fourteenth Amendment......Page 404 Judicial Interpretation......Page 410 Major versus Peripheral Rights......Page 413 Freedom of Speech......Page 414 Speech That Advocates Illegal Activity......Page 415 Sexually Explicit Expression......Page 417 ▶ Politics to Policy: The Supreme Court’s History of Protecting Unpopular Speech......Page 418 ▶ Politics to Policy: Corporate Free Speech......Page 422 Freedom of the Press......Page 424 Freedom of Religion......Page 427 Establishment......Page 429 School Prayer and Bible Reading......Page 433 Free Exercise......Page 438 Gun Rights......Page 440 Criminal Rights......Page 445 Fourth Amendment: Illegal Searches and Seizures......Page 448 Fifth Amendment: Self-Incrimination......Page 453 Sixth Amendment: Right to Counsel and Impartial Jury of Peers......Page 455 Eighth Amendment: “Cruel and Unusual” Punishment......Page 457 Privacy......Page 461 Childbearing Choices......Page 463 The Brave New World of Informational Privacy......Page 466 Assessing Civil Liberties as Public Policy......Page 467 Suggested Readings......Page 470 Review Questions......Page 472 Part 2. The Institutions of Government......Page 473 Chapter 6: Congress......Page 474 Congress in the Constitution......Page 479 Powers of Congress......Page 481 The Electoral System......Page 484 Congressional Districts......Page 485 Unequal Representation in the Senate......Page 489 Congress and Electoral Politics......Page 490 Candidate-Centered versus Party-Centered Electoral Politics......Page 492 ▶ Strategy and Choice: The Republican Gerrymander in 2012......Page 493 National Politics in Congressional Elections......Page 500 Representation versus Responsibility......Page 503 Who Serves in Congress?......Page 505 The Basic Problems of Legislative Organization......Page 508 The Need for Information......Page 509 Coordination Problems......Page 511 Resolving Conflicts......Page 512 Collective Action......Page 513 Transaction Costs......Page 514 Time Pressures......Page 515 Organizing Congress......Page 516 The Parties......Page 517 Increased Partisanship......Page 523 The Committee Systems......Page 534 Congressional Staff and Support Groups......Page 546 Making Laws......Page 549 Introducing Legislation......Page 550 Assignment to Committee......Page 551 Hearings......Page 553 ▶ Logic of Politics: Congressional Investigations......Page 554 Scheduling Debate......Page 557 Debate and Amendment......Page 564 ▶ Strategy and Choice: The Origin and Evolution of the Senate Filibuster......Page 567 Reconciling Differences......Page 573 To the President......Page 576 A Bias against Action......Page 577 Evaluating Congress......Page 579 Key Terms......Page 583 Suggested Readings......Page 584 Review Questions......Page 586 Chapter 7: The Presidency......Page 587 The Historical Presidency......Page 596 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Lincoln and His Cabinet......Page 599 Parties and Elections......Page 602 The Modern Presidency......Page 604 The President as Commander in Chief and Head of State......Page 609 The President as Chief Executive......Page 615 The President as Legislator......Page 625 ▶ Logic of Politics: The Veto Game......Page 637 The Institutional Presidency......Page 649 Dilemma of Leadership......Page 659 Suggested Readings......Page 661 Review Questions......Page 662 Chapter 8: The Bureaucracy......Page 664 The Development of the Federal Bureaucracy......Page 671 Modest Beginnings: The Dilemma of Delegation......Page 674 The Federalist Years: A Reliance on Respectability......Page 676 Democratization of the Civil Service: The Spoils System......Page 677 Civil Service Reform......Page 680 An Expanding Government......Page 684 The Cabinet......Page 686 Noncabinet Agencies......Page 691 ▶ Logic of Politics: Insulating the Fed......Page 698 ▶ Politics to Policy: The Political Costs of Poor Policy Implementation......Page 701 Bureaucracy in Action......Page 704 ▶ Logic of Politics: The Bureaucratic Cover-up Always Compounds the Crime......Page 705 Bureaucrats as Politicians......Page 709 Bureaucratic Infighting......Page 713 Who Controls the Bureaucracy?......Page 714 Methods of Congressional Control......Page 716 The President and the Bureaucracy......Page 719 The Courts and the Bureaucracy......Page 729 ▶ Logic of Politics: Two Bureaucratic Scandals, One Damage-Control Script......Page 731 Bureaucratic Reform: A Hardy Perennial......Page 734 The Logic of Red Tape......Page 736 The Bureaucratic Reward System......Page 737 Suggested Readings......Page 740 Review Questions......Page 742 Chapter 9: The Federal Judiciary......Page 743 Setting the Stage for Judicial Review......Page 747 A Modern Application of the Federalists’ Court Packing Strategy......Page 750 Three Eras of the Court’s Judicial Review......Page 755 Nation versus State......Page 757 Regulating the National Economy......Page 761 A Fourth Era? Reasserting Judicial Review and a Return to States’ Rights......Page 767 The Structure of the Federal Judiciary......Page 771 Jurisdiction of the Federal Courts......Page 773 ▶ Politics to Policy: Chief Justice Roberts Stands Alone, and Puts His Stamp on “The Roberts Court”......Page 775 The Limits of Internal Control......Page 780 Judicial Decision Making......Page 784 Selecting Cases......Page 785 Doctrine: Policymaking by the Court......Page 789 ▶ Politics to Policy: Judicial Activism......Page 794 Deciding Doctrine......Page 796 The Supreme Court’s Place in the Separation of Powers......Page 800 Absence of Judicial Enforcement......Page 801 Constitutional and Statutory Control......Page 803 Department of Justice......Page 805 Judicial Recruitment......Page 806 ▶ Logic of Politics: Senate Confirmation: Another Kind of Veto Game......Page 813 Who Guards the Guardians?......Page 821 Suggested Readings......Page 824 Review Questions......Page 825 Part 3. The Public’s Influence on National Policy......Page 827 Chapter 10: Public Opinion......Page 828 What Is Public Opinion?......Page 830 Measuring Public Opinion......Page 834 The Origins of Public Opinion......Page 841 Attitudes......Page 842 Ideologies......Page 843 Partisanship......Page 845 Acquiring Opinions......Page 849 Information......Page 852 Framing......Page 857 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Framing Hillary Clinton, Ted Cruz, and Marco Rubio......Page 858 Is Public Opinion Meaningful?......Page 861 Stability of Aggregate Public Opinion......Page 862 Opinion Leadership......Page 865 The Content of Public Opinion......Page 871 Consensus on the System......Page 873 Politicians: A Suspect Class......Page 877 Public Opinion on Issues......Page 881 ▶ Politics to Policy: Public Opinion and Welfare Reform......Page 884 Effects of Background on Public Opinion......Page 893 Race and Ethnicity......Page 894 Gender......Page 897 Income and Education......Page 898 Religion......Page 899 Other Demographic Divisions......Page 902 Public Opinion: A Vital Component of American Politics......Page 903 Key Terms......Page 904 Suggested Readings......Page 905 Review Questions......Page 906 Chapter 11: Voting, Campaigns, and Elections......Page 907 The Logic of Elections......Page 911 The Right to Vote......Page 913 Wider Suffrage for Men......Page 914 Suffrage for Women......Page 916 Suffrage for African Americans and Young Americans......Page 918 Who Uses the Right to Vote?......Page 919 Individual Factors Affecting Turnout......Page 921 Institutional Factors Affecting Turnout......Page 923 Variations in Turnout over Time......Page 926 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Personal Politics: Mobilization......Page 927 Past Performance and Incumbency......Page 930 Assessing the Issues and Policy Options......Page 932 Voter Cues and Shortcuts......Page 934 The Power of Party Identification......Page 936 The Basic Necessities: Candidates and Messages......Page 937 ▶ Strategy and Choice: To Run or Not to Run......Page 939 The Other Necessity: Campaign Money......Page 952 ▶ Politics to Policy: Soft Money Finds a New Home......Page 959 The Logic of Elections Revisited......Page 969 Key Terms......Page 971 Suggested Readings......Page 972 Review Questions......Page 973 Chapter 12: Political Parties......Page 975 The Constitution’s Unwanted Offspring......Page 980 Incentives for Party Building......Page 982 Basic Features of the Party System......Page 987 ▶ Logic of Politics: Third-Party Blues......Page 991 The Development and Evolution of the Party Systems......Page 997 The First Party System: The Origin of American Parties......Page 998 The Second Party System: Organizational Innovation......Page 1001 The Third Party System: Entrepreneurial Politics......Page 1007 The Fourth Party System: Republican Ascendancy......Page 1014 The Fifth Party System: The New Deal Coalition......Page 1017 The Revival of the Parties: A Sixth Party System?......Page 1032 Partisanship Endures......Page 1034 Party Differences......Page 1035 Changes in the Party Coalitions......Page 1038 Modern Party Organizations......Page 1041 ▶ Strategy and Choice: The President as Party Coordinator......Page 1047 Expediency Persists......Page 1050 Suggested Readings......Page 1052 Review Questions......Page 1054 Chapter 13: Interest Groups......Page 1055 The Logic of Lobbying......Page 1060 The Origins of Interest Group Politics in the United States......Page 1063 ▶ Politics to Policy: Mobilizing a Wave of Protest: The Surfrider Foundation Saves the “Trestles” Surf Spot......Page 1066 The Pluralist Defense of Interest Groups......Page 1070 The Problem of Collective Action......Page 1072 ▶ Logic of Politics: The Political Power of Small Numbers......Page 1074 Contemporary Interest Groups......Page 1078 Why Have Interest Groups Proliferated?......Page 1080 Fragmentation and Specialization......Page 1085 What Do Interest Groups Do?......Page 1088 Insider Tactics: Trafficking in Information and Cultivating Access......Page 1089 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Why Spend Millions on Lobbying? Because It Is Worth Billions......Page 1092 Outsider Tactics: Altering the Political Forces......Page 1098 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Lobbying with a Social Network......Page 1100 Litigation......Page 1105 Electoral Politics and Political Action Committees......Page 1108 Interest Group Politics: Controversial and Thriving......Page 1118 Suggested Readings......Page 1123 Review Questions......Page 1125 Chapter 14: The News Media......Page 1126 Development of the News Business......Page 1131 The Economics of Early Newspapers......Page 1132 The Rise of the Penny Press......Page 1135 The Emergence of Radio and Television......Page 1144 Broadcast Technology Introduces Regulation......Page 1149 The Digital Revolution: Internet and Mobile......Page 1150 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Wi-Fi Brings Sectors Together to Solve Coordination Problems......Page 1153 News as a Consumer Product......Page 1157 How the News Is Produced: Content and Form......Page 1158 Where People Get Their News......Page 1165 How the Media Influence Citizens......Page 1169 News Media as the “Fourth Branch”......Page 1171 Prior Restraint......Page 1174 Slander and Libel......Page 1175 News as the Product of Politics......Page 1176 News Producers: Reporters and Their News Organizations......Page 1188 Strategic Relations between Politicians and Reporters......Page 1193 ▶ Strategy and Choice: The Military’s Media Strategy......Page 1195 Conclusion: Politician–Press Relations Then and Now......Page 1198 ▶ Strategy and Choice: The Shrinking Presidential Sound Bite: A Tweet!......Page 1201 Key Terms......Page 1203 Suggested Readings......Page 1204 Review Questions......Page 1206 Part 4. Conclusion......Page 1207 Chapter 15: Is There a Logic to American Policy?......Page 1208 Free Riding and Health Care......Page 1212 The Obstacles to Taking Domestic Action to Stop Global Climate Change......Page 1219 High-Stakes Maneuvering: Why We Tiptoe Up To, but Have Not Fallen Off, the Fiscal Cliff......Page 1226 ▶ Logic of Politics: #Grubergate and the Perils of Making Free Riders Pay Up......Page 1227 The Prisoner’s Dilemma of Entitlement Reform......Page 1234 The Success and Failure of Collective Action: A Tale of Two Tax Reforms......Page 1240 ▶ Logic of Politics: The Structure of Government and Anti-Tobacco Laws......Page 1241 ▶ Strategy and Choice: Do Politicians and Students Play Political Logic Games Differently?......Page 1249 Suggested Readings......Page 1253 Review Questions......Page 1254 Reference Material......Page 1255 Notes......Page 1352 Glossary......Page 1401 Index......Page 1438 About the Authors......Page 1498