This 4th edition of Government and Politics of the United States provides a comprehensive and wide-ranging introduction to the contemporary institutions and processes of government in the US. It sets American politics in its historical context, and gives detailed coverage of the evolution of the constitutional and legal framework within which government operates.
Exploring each of the branches of government – executive, legislative, judicial – and the relationship between federal, regional and state politics, the book highlights issues such as the challenges of partisanship and policy-making, how to interpret and implement the Constitution, the recent shrinking of federal bureaucracy and systems of checks and balances. Fully updated to cover the Trump and Biden Presidencies, the pandemic, black lives matter and American foreign policy in Europe and the Middle East, it also charts wider cultural trends such as gun control, abortion, immigration and a widening polarization of American society.
New to this edition:
New chapters on 'The Media' and 'Civil Rights, Race and Identity'
New 'Understanding Current Events' cases at the start of each chapter, with questions introducing key themes that are then reflected on at the end of each chapter
New 'Key Concept' boxes that explain challenging ideas
New companion website with slides and a test bank for lecturers and an online flashcard glossary for students, to aid learning and revision.

An ideal course text for undergraduate and postgraduate students of US Government and Politics.

Nigel Bowles is Director of the Rothermere American Institute, and Professorial Fellow, at Corpus Christi College, University of Oxford, UK.

Rob McMahon is the Head of the Politics Department at Radley College, Abingdon, UK.