American Democracy

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1. Democracy: The Real and the Ideal. I. Foundations. 2. American Political Culture: Liberty and Its Tensions. 3. Revolution and Constitution: The American Way. 4. American Federalism: Can Democracy Be Divided Fifty Ways? 5. Civil Liberties: Are Liberties Effectively Protected? 6. Civil Rights: The Meanings of Equality. 7. The American Political Economy: Inequality and Democratic Politics. II. Politics. 8. Political Socialization, Public Sentiment, and Electoral Trends: Is There a Real Majority? 9. Political Parties: Do They Offer a Choice? 10. Campaigns, Money, and the Media: Behind the Glitter and the Mud. 11. Interest Group Politics: Democracy to the Highest Bidder? 12. Mass Politics and Protest: A Threat or a Necessity? III. Institutions. 13. The Congress: The Heart of Democracy? 14. The American President: Unique, Necessary, and Dangerous. 15. The Bureaucracy: How Much Service and What Kind? 16. The American Judiciary: Non-elected Defenders of Democracy? IV. Public Policy. 17. Public Policy: Processes and Outcomes. 18. Management of the Economy: Competing Interests. 19. The Welfare State: Benefiting the Poor and the Nonpoor. 20. Building Community: Values and Limits. 21. Foreign and Defense Policies: A Place in the World. 22. Energy and Environment: Preserving or Depleting the American Dream? Epilogue: On Improving American Democracy. Appendices. Glossary. Index.