12th Edition
American Government Political Development and Institutional Change
How politics in America works today, how it got that way, and how it’s likely to change through reform—these are the themes that pervade every chapter of Cal Jillson’s highly lauded American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change. Even in the midst of current challenges, America’s past is present in all aspects of the contemporary political system. Jillson uses political development and the dynamics of change as a thematic tool to help students understand how politics works now—and how institutions, participation, and policies have evolved over time to produce the contemporary political environment. In addition, Jillson helps students think critically about how American democracy might evolve further, focusing in every chapter on reform and further change.
New to the 12th Edition:
- Assesses the characteristics and results of the Trump administration and the policy and tonal changes of the early Biden adminstration.
- Describes numerous ways in which the American political system has been affected by the Covid-19 pandemic
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Assesses the implications of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and what it implies for our political culture and partisan politics.
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Assesses the implication of "fake news" and "the move to mobile" for our politics.
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Explores the evidence for increasing polarization in public opinion, voting behavior, and the work of Congress and the courts..
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Details the impact that the Russian invasion of Ukraine had on President Biden’s attempt to rebuild U.S. national security alliances.
Chapter 1 THE ORIGINS OF AMERICAN POLITICAL PRINCIPLES
Chapter 2 THE REVOLUTION AND THE CONSTITUTION
Chapter 3 FEDERALISM AND AMERICAN POLITICAL DEVELOPMENT
Chapter 4 POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION AND PUBLIC OPINION
Chapter 5 THE MASS MEDIA AND THE POLITICAL AGENDA
Chapter 6 INTEREST GROUPS: THE POLITICS OF INFLUENCE
Chapter 7 POLITICAL PARTIES: WINNING THE RIGHT TO GOVERN
Chapter 8 VOTING, CAMPAIGNS, AND ELECTIONS
Chapter 9 CONGRESS: PARTISANSHIP, POLARIZATION, AND GRIDLOCK
Chapter 10 THE PRESIDENT: EXECUTIVE POWER IN A SEPARATION OF POWERS REGIME
Chapter 11 BUREAUCRACY: REDESIGNING GOVERNMENT FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Chapter 12 THE FEDERAL COURTS: ACTIVISM VERSUS RESTRAINT
Chapter 13 CIVIL LIBERTIES: ORDERED LIBERTY IN AMERICA
Chapter 14 CIVIL RIGHTS: WHERE LIBERTY AND EQUALITY COLLIDE
Chapter 15 GOVERNMENT, THE ECONOMY, AND DOMESTIC POLICY
Chapter 16 AMERICA’S GLOBAL ROLE IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
GLOSSARY OF KEY TERMS
GLOSSARY OF CASES
Appendix A THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
Appendix B THE ARTICLES OF THE CONFEDERATION
Appendix C CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
Appendix D FEDERALIST NUMBERS 10, 51, AND 78
Appendix E PARTISAN CONTROL OF THE PRESIDENCY, CONGRESS, AND THE SUPREME COURT
INDEX
Biography
Cal Jillson is Professor in the Department of Political Science at Southern Methodist University. His recent books include Lone Star Tarnished: A Critical Look at Texas Politics and Public Policy; Texas Politics: Governing the Lone Star State; Pursuing the American Dream: Opportunity and Exclusion Over Four Centuries; Pathways to Democracy: The Political Economy of Democratic Transitions; and The Dynamics of American Politics. Jillson is a frequent media commentator on Texas and national politics.
Praise for American Government, Twelfth Edition
What sets Jillson’s text apart from other American government books, is how it connects the compromises that shaped the creation of American institutions to their historical evolution and how they confront twenty-first century challenges. The text helps students understand and critically engage important debates, from the proliferation of fake news to mass protests fighting discrimination, potential government reforms, and the historic nature of a national election amid a global pandemic.
Stephen C. Phillips, Clemson UniversityThe textbook, American Government: Political Development and Institutional Change, by Cal Jillson, provides students with a comprehensive study of the origins, politics, and institutions of the American political system. The first chapter opens with the relationship between classical ideas and writings and American political principles, establishing a framework for learning how these principles are applied through our political systems and institutions. The twelfth edition contains relevant updates that give greater insight into current events and political processes. The inclusion of questions embedded in the chapter, definitions in text boxes, and thoughtful exercises are instructional tools to help guide students through each of the chapters. I highly recommend this textbook because it gives a nuanced and unbiased look at government allowing students to develop their own ideas, views, and opinions.
Michelle Belco, University of HoustonPraise for Previous Editions
A book that connects the political challenges of today to the political conflicts of the past.
Jonathan Chausovsky, SUNY FredoniaThis text is accessible and well-written with a nice amount of historical/institutional background. It does a very good job of offering students a sense of why we do things one way rather than another in historical terms. I think the author’s clear writing is one of the text’s most attractive features.
Thomas Hoffman, Spring Hill CollegeThis book truly stands apart from the vast crowd of introductory American politics textbooks.
Shamira M. Gelbman, Illinois State UniversityMost of my students are non-majors. They walk into the course expecting to be bored. Jillson’s text helps them get over that. I've considered many textbooks over the years and this is clearly the right one for me.
Keith Dougherty, University of GeorgiaClear, comprehensive, and concise, this is no doubt the best American government text on the market today.
Christopher Malone, Lehman College
