Americanpoliticsseemstogrowmorecontentiousandcomplicatedbytheday,andwhetherAmericandemocracyworkswellishotlydebated.Amidstallthisroilingpartisanargumentandconfusingclaimsandcounterclaims,therehasneverbeenagreaterneedforanimpartialprimeronthebasicsoftheAmericanpoliticalsystem.ThisVeryShortIntroductiongivesreadersaconcise,accessible,andsophisticatedoverviewofthevitalelementsofAmericandemocracy,emphasizingbothhowtheseelementsfunction,theirhistoricalorigins,andhowtheyhaveevolvedintotheirpresentforms.RichardValellycoversallfacetsofAmerica’spoliticalsystem:thebicameralCongressandtheplaceofthefilibuster,thelegislative-executiveprocess,theroleoftheSupremeCourt,politicalpartiesanddemocraticchoice,bureaucracy,thepartisanrevival,andthepoliticaleconomy.HeoffersaswellanoriginalanalysisoftheevolutionoftheAmericanpresidencyandafascinatingchapterontheeffectsofpublicpollingonpoliticaldecision-makingandvoterrepresentation.ValellyshowsthattheAmericanpoliticalsystemis,andalwayshasbeen,verymuchaworkinprogress--unfoldingwithin,andalsoconstantlyupdating,aneighteenth-centuryconstitutionalframework.Inarefreshinglybalancedandjudiciousassessment,heexploresthestrengthsofAmericandemocracywhilecandidlyacknowledgingbothgapsinrepresentationandtheincreasingincomeinequalityhavesparkedprotestandintensepublicdiscussion.Finally,Valellyconsiderstheremarkablepersistence,formorethantwocenturies,ofthebasicconstitutionalformsestablishedin1787,despitethedramaticsocialchangesthathavereshapedvirtuallyallaspectsofAmericanlife.Foranyonewishingtounderstandthenutsandboltsofhowourpoliticalsystemworks--andsometimesfailstowork--thisVeryShortIntroductionistheverybestplacetostart.AbouttheSeries:Oxford’sVeryShortIntroductionsseriesoffersconciseandoriginalintroductionstoawiderangeofsubjects--fromIslamtoSociology,PoliticstoClassics,LiteraryTheorytoHistory,andArchaeologytotheBible.Notsimplyatextbookofdefinitions,eachvolumeinthisseriesprovidestrenchantandprovocative--yetalwaysbalancedandcomplete--discussionsofthecentralissuesinagivendisciplineorfield.EveryVeryShortIntroductiongivesareadableevolutionofthesubjectinquestion,demonstratinghowthesubjecthasdevelopedandhowithasinfluencedsociety.Eventually,theserieswillencompasseverymajoracademicdiscipline,offeringallstudentsanaccessibleandabundantreferencelibrary.Whatevertheareaofstudythatonedeemsimportantorappealing,whateverthetopicthatfascinatesthegeneralreader,theVeryShortIntroductionsserieshasahandyandaffordableguidethatwilllikelyproveindispensable.
