Readings in American government : the state of the Union.

Combines contemporary works of respected academics with journalistic pieces for a realistic examination of the American government's inner workings. Written in a direct, objective manner, this introductory book of readings exhibits how the American government works while giving students a means of assessing the state of the union at the start of the last decade in the 20th century. Organized around conventional American government topics, these interesting selections combine contemporary works from major political scientists in their specialized fields and journalistic pieces in recent issues of periodicals. The readings are tailored to general audiences and come from a variety of sources-from classic works in political science and modern textbooks to journalists, lawyers, and Supreme Court opinions.

FEATURES:

= chapter introductions place the readings in a particular context, briefly explain the selections, and alert the reader to any bias the author may have.

In demonstrates, through the readings, how American government works (and doesn't work), and communicates a wealth of contemporary events-from American political parties and intergovernmental relations to reflections on Reaganomics and the end of the Cold War-that provoke student discussion. contains fewer readings than most texts, and each is reprinted nearly in full, thus making the volume easy for readers to understand.