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9780198748885

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This textbook does an excellent job of combining constitutional foundations with theory and history and linking these to contemporary political actors and debates. It is extremely comprehensive and highly topical. Concepts and ideas are clearly explained, with great use of case studies and examples to aid student understanding. Detailed resources throughout further support learning beyond the classroom. For the next few years, this will be the standard textbook for university modules on US politics. * Dr Matthew Mokhefi-Ashton, Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at Nottingham Trent University * I would happily use this book in my course. You deliver on your promise: it's an excellent book on American government. It focuses on why the system works as it does-and that is exactly what I want my students to learn. Facts can be found anywhere (including in this book) but understanding the 'why' is essential. * Dr Peter van der Heiden, Assistant Professor of American Politics, Radboud University * Rich use of concrete cases and features-such as the Key Debate, Key Event, and Digging Deeper boxes-anchors abstract ideas in memorable stories. Great pedagogy! * Dr Peer Illner, Lecturer in American Studies, University of Groningen * Vivid, up-to-date examples and powerful visuals bring the subject to life. * Dr Ursula Hackett, Reader in Politics, Royal Holloway, University of London *

Author Information

Amy Melissa McKay is Professor of Political Science at the University of Exeter in Exeter, UK. She studies the politics of policymaking especially in the US but also in the UK and in comparative context. She is particularly focused on understanding how lobbying, interest groups, and campaign spending influence policy outcomes. She is the author of Stealth Lobbying: Interest Group Influence and Health Care Reform (Cambridge University Press, 2022) as well as articles in journals such as Political Research Quarterly, Nature Human Behaviour, and Interest Groups & Advocacy. She previously taught at Georgia State University and the University of Iowa, and she was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of a US senator where she worked on health reform legislation in 2009. She is the lead Co-PI on a grant investigating how interesting group shape the agendas of national legislatures in the US, UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Graham O'Dwyer is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Reading, having previously taught at the University of Kent. He specialises in American foreign policy, US environmental policy, and the values and traditions that shape political institutions and policy outcomes in Washington. His present work explores how US national parks connect environmentalism with foreign policy, shaping America's global environmental identity. His previous work, Charles de Gaulle, the International System, and the Existential Difference (Routledge, 2017), examined how ideas and national identity shaped Franco-American relations during the Cold War. Daniel Stevens is Professor of Politics at the University of Exeter. His research on political behaviour and political communication mostly focuses on the United States and Great Britain. He is the author of the books Truth in Advertising: Lies in Political Advertising and How They Affect the Electorate (2018), with Barbara Allen, Everyday Security Threats: Perceptions, Experiences and Consequences (2017), with Nick Vaughan-Williams, and co-editor, with Susan Banducci, Laszlo Horvath and Ekaterina Kolpinskaya of Media and the British General Elections of 2015-19 (2025). Andrew Wroe is a senior lecturer in American politics at the University of Kent in the UK. He was previously chair of the UK Political Studies Association American Politics Group. His research interests include political trust, polarization, immigration policy, and the Republican party. He has authored, co-authored and edited many articles and books on American politics, including: The Republican Party and Immigration Politics: From Proposition 187 to George W. Bush (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008); The Ordinary Presidency of Donald J. Trump, with Jon Herbert and Trevor McCrisken (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019); and Developments in American Politics 10, with Gillian Peele, Jon Herbert and Raymond La Raja (Palgrave Macmillan 2026).

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