Download or read book Good Enough for Government Work written by Amy E. Lerman and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2019-06-14 with total page 329 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: American government is in the midst of a reputation crisis. An overwhelming majority of citizens—Republicans and Democrats alike—hold negative perceptions of the government and believe it is wasteful, inefficient, and doing a generally poor job managing public programs and providing public services. When social problems arise, Americans are therefore skeptical that the government has the ability to respond effectively. It’s a serious problem, argues Amy E. Lerman, and it will not be a simple one to fix. With Good Enough for Government Work, Lerman uses surveys, experiments, and public opinion data to argue persuasively that the reputation of government is itself an impediment to government’s ability to achieve the common good. In addition to improving its efficiency and effectiveness, government therefore has an equally critical task: countering the belief that the public sector is mired in incompetence. Lerman takes readers through the main challenges. Negative perceptions are highly resistant to change, she shows, because we tend to perceive the world in a way that confirms our negative stereotypes of government—even in the face of new information. Those who hold particularly negative perceptions also begin to “opt out” in favor of private alternatives, such as sending their children to private schools, living in gated communities, and refusing to participate in public health insurance programs. When sufficient numbers of people opt out of public services, the result can be a decline in the objective quality of public provision. In this way, citizens’ beliefs about government can quickly become a self-fulfilling prophecy, with consequences for all. Lerman concludes with practical solutions for how the government might improve its reputation and roll back current efforts to eliminate or privatize even some of the most critical public services.

Download or read book American Government 3e written by Glen Krutz and published by . This book was released on 2023-05-12 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Black & white print. American Government 3e aligns with the topics and objectives of many government courses. Faculty involved in the project have endeavored to make government workings, issues, debates, and impacts meaningful and memorable to students while maintaining the conceptual coverage and rigor inherent in the subject. With this objective in mind, the content of this textbook has been developed and arranged to provide a logical progression from the fundamental principles of institutional design at the founding, to avenues of political participation, to thorough coverage of the political structures that constitute American government. The book builds upon what students have already learned and emphasizes connections between topics as well as between theory and applications. The goal of each section is to enable students not just to recognize concepts, but to work with them in ways that will be useful in later courses, future careers, and as engaged citizens. In order to help students understand the ways that government, society, and individuals interconnect, the revision includes more examples and details regarding the lived experiences of diverse groups and communities within the United States. The authors and reviewers sought to strike a balance between confronting the negative and harmful elements of American government, history, and current events, while demonstrating progress in overcoming them. In doing so, the approach seeks to provide instructors with ample opportunities to open discussions, extend and update concepts, and drive deeper engagement.

Download or read book How American Governments Work written by Roger L. Kemp and published by McFarland. This book was released on 2007-03-16 with total page 449 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the past two decades, many countries in the world have peacefully undergone a transition to more popular forms of self-governance. The United States represents the world model for evolving forms of democracy. This volume details how government currently works in America. Forty essays examine the condition of all five levels of government in America--city, county, regional, state, and federal. They describe and examine the structures, operations and services provided by each level, as well as how they are financed.

Download or read book Our American Government written by and published by . This book was released on 2003 with total page 138 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Committee on House Administration is pleased to present this revised book on our United States Government. This publication continues to be a popular introductory guide for American citizens and those of other countries who seek a greater understanding of our heritage of democracy. The question-and-answer format covers a broad range of topics dealing with the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of our Government as well as the electoral process and the role of political parties.--Foreword.

Download or read book How the U S Government Works written by Nancy Gendron Hofmann and published by . This book was released on 1995 with total page 180 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: What kind of influence interest groups really have?How do the Media create as well as report the news? Unethical conduct in government-is it more prevalent today or are we more in tune to the infractions?"Gridlock"--Is it here to stay?

Download or read book Congressional Government written by Woodrow Wilson and published by . This book was released on 1901 with total page 374 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Complete Idiot s Guide to American Government written by Melanie Fonder and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2002 with total page 390 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Explains how the government works and the functions of its many parts, covering such topics as the system of checks and balances, the Constitution, and the division of state and federal powers.

Download or read book American Government written by Marilyn Thypin and published by Entry Publishing, Incorporated. This book was released on 1984 with total page 100 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book The Infographic Guide to American Government written by Carissa Lytle and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2019-07-16 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This vibrant, illustrated guide to the ins and outs of United States politics provides a clearer understanding of the current events and regular processes that shape this nation and the world. Decipher the American political system with this clear, easy-to-understand guide to the basics of the United States political system, from the founding of the thirteen colonies, to the foundations of the constitution, to how elections work. You’ll also find information about the history and context of current issues, like how Supreme Court justices are appointed; the electoral college and the popular vote; and how to get involved in the political process. Perfect for anyone looking for information on basic political processes, The Infographic Guide to American Government includes graphics that help simplify a range of topics from the Revolutionary War to all about a free press.

Download or read book How the U S Government Works written by Syl Sobel and published by B.E.S. Publishing. This book was released on 1999 with total page 52 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Sobel explains the three branches of the federal government--legislative, executive, and judicial--and how they work.

Download or read book American Government 101 written by Kathleen Sears and published by Simon and Schuster. This book was released on 2016-09-16 with total page 247 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The ultimate crash course in how the US government works—and how it got that way—from the Continental Congress to the Iowa Caucus. Too often, textbooks turn the noteworthy details of government into tedious discourse that would put even the president to sleep. American Government 101 cuts out the boring explanations, and instead provides a hands-on lesson that keeps you engaged as you learn. From the backstory of the Constitution to the institution of the Electoral College, this primer is packed with hundreds of entertaining tidbits and concepts to help you learn about how the government of the United States actually works. So whether you want to learn about how policies and laws are created, or just want to become a better-informed voter, American Government 101 has all the answers—even the ones you didn’t know you were looking for.

Download or read book Government s Greatest Achievements written by Paul C. Light and published by Brookings Institution Press. This book was released on 2010-12-01 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In an era of promises to create smaller, more limited government, Americans often forget that the federal government has amassed an extraordinary record of successes over the past half century. Despite seemingly insurmountable odds, it helped rebuild Europe after World War II, conquered polio and other life-threatening diseases, faced down communism, attacked racial discrimination, reduced poverty among the elderly, and put men on the moon. In Government's Greatest Achievements, Paul C. Light explores the federal government's most successful accomplishments over the previous five decades and anticipates the most significant challenges of the next half century. While some successes have come through major legislation such as the 1965 Medicare Act, or large-scale efforts like the Apollo space program, most have been achieved through collections of smaller, often unheralded statutes. Drawing on survey responses from 230 historians and 220 political scientists at colleges and universities nationwide, Light ranks and summarizes the fifty greatest government achievements from 1944 to 1999. The achievements were ranked based on difficulty, importance, and degree of success. Through a series of twenty vignettes, he paints a vivid picture of the most intense government efforts to improve the quality of life both at home and abroad—from enhancing health care and workplace safety, to expanding home ownership, to improving education, to protecting endangered species, to strengthening the national defense. The book also examines how Americans perceive government's greatest achievements, and reveals what they consider to be its most significant failures. America is now calling on the government to resolve another complex, difficult problem: the defeat of terrorism. Light concludes by discussing this enormous task, as well as government's other greatest priorities for the next fifty years.

Download or read book Parties and Policies written by David R. Mayhew and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 2008-10-01 with total page 408 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this wide-ranging new volume, one of our most important and perceptive scholars of the workings of the American government investigates political parties, politicians, elections, and policymaking to discover why public policy emerges in the shape that it does. David R. Mayhew looks at two centuries of policy making—from the Civil War and Reconstruction era through the Progressive era, the New Deal, the Great Society, the Reagan years, and the aspirations of the Clinton and Bush administrations—and offers his original insights on the ever-evolving American policy experience. These fourteen essays were written over the past three decades and collectively showcase Mayhew’s skepticism of the usefulness of political parties as an analytic window into American politics. These writings, which include a new introductory essay, probe beneath the parties to the essentials of the U.S. constitutional system and the impulses and idiosyncrasies of history.

Download or read book The Federalist Papers written by Alexander Hamilton and published by Read Books Ltd. This book was released on 2018-08-20 with total page 455 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Classic Books Library presents this brand new edition of “The Federalist Papers”, a collection of separate essays and articles compiled in 1788 by Alexander Hamilton. Following the United States Declaration of Independence in 1776, the governing doctrines and policies of the States lacked cohesion. “The Federalist”, as it was previously known, was constructed by American statesman Alexander Hamilton, and was intended to catalyse the ratification of the United States Constitution. Hamilton recruited fellow statesmen James Madison Jr., and John Jay to write papers for the compendium, and the three are known as some of the Founding Fathers of the United States. Alexander Hamilton (c. 1755–1804) was an American lawyer, journalist and highly influential government official. He also served as a Senior Officer in the Army between 1799-1800 and founded the Federalist Party, the system that governed the nation’s finances. His contributions to the Constitution and leadership made a significant and lasting impact on the early development of the nation of the United States.

Download or read book The Handy American Government Answer Book written by Gina Misiroglu and published by Visible Ink Press. This book was released on 2017-12-01 with total page 641 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A practical, accessible, engaging, and comprehensive guide to how American democracy works (and how it sometimes doesn't work). The stakes have never been higher: national security, civil liberties, the economy, the future of the republic. Yet few outside Washington actually understand how our government and political system should work, much less how it actually operates. On one level, it's a complex, interlocking world veiled in power brokering, bureaucracy, and big money. On another, it's the biggest, richest, most influential organization in the world, for better or worse. Understanding how modern America is managed and governed is more vital than ever, but television, radio, newspapers, and social media frequently aim to spin, seduce, and sell product rather than serve anything resembling the truth. Filling the breach and answering basic questions about how our very complex government operates and what it promises, The Handy American Government Answer Book: How Washington, Politics, and Elections Work takes a comprehensive look at the systems, people, and policies that comprise American democracy, providing much-needed clarity to the current political drama. This informative book traces the historic development of the government, the functions of each branch of government, and how they work together. It provides clear and concise definitions of who does what and why. Written in an entertaining, reader-friendly, question-and-answer format, The Handy American Government Answer Book deciphers the news behind the headlines through well-researched answers to nearly 800 common questions. You will also read about such fascinating tidbits as Why is America's democratic system considered so precious? How are shifting demographics related to the electorate? What can Americans do to influence their government? Did the framers of the Constitution place equal weight on the concepts of liberty, equality, and democracy? What does "checks and balances" mean? What generally happens when members of Congress act inappropriately? How many presidents have been impeached? How does a case reach the U.S. Supreme Court? Which president appointed the most justices? How do civil liberties differ from civil rights? How does the Bill of Rights protect individual liberties? Is measuring public opinion a new phenomenon in politics? What does the concept ?majority rule with minority rights? mean? Why has trust in the government declined? What does it mean to lobby? How are PAC donations and political decisions linked? Where do the party symbols of the donkey and the elephant come from? What is electoral realignment? Who pays for the campaigns of candidates? Did the electoral college ever vote unanimously for a president? This handy primer also includes numerous illustrations, graphs, tables, a helpful bibliography, and an extensive index, adding to its usefulness. In the midst of the overheated rhetoric of the moment and the fast-changing, crisis-dominated world, a well-informed citizenry armed with The Handy American Government Answer Book is the best defense against political and corporate chicanery!

Download or read book American Government written by James Q. Wilson and published by McDougal Littell/Houghton Mifflin. This book was released on 1998 with total page 810 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book American Government written by Theodore J. Lowi and published by W. W. Norton. This book was released on 2018-12-17 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A fresh, accessible perspective on the fundamentals