Clyde Wilcox

Mark J. Rozell

Early Americans were suspicious of centralized authority and executive power. Casting away the yoke of England and its king, the founding fathers shared in this distrust as they set out to pen the Constitution. Weighing a need for consolidated leadership with a demand for states' rights, they established a large federal republic with limited dominion over the states, leaving most of the governing responsibility with the former colonies. With this dual system of federalism, the national government held the powers of war, taxation, and commerce, and the ability to pass the laws necessary to uphold these functions. Although the federal role has grown substantially since then, states and local governments continue to perform most of the duties in civil and criminal law, business and professional licensing, the management of infrastructure and public services: roads, schools, libraries, sanitation, land use and development, and etc. Despite the critical roles of state and local governments, there is little awareness-or understanding-of the nature and operations of the federal system. This Very Short Introduction provides a concise overview of federalism, from its origins and evolution to the key events and constitutional decisions that have defined its framework. Although the primary focus is on the United States, other federal systems, including Brazil, Canada, India, Germany, Russia, South Africa, Switzerland, and the EU, are addressed.

A Very Short Introduction

Federalism

Herbert F. Weisberg

"Chapters in this book were originally commissioned for a conference ... held at the Mershon Center on the Ohio State University campus, March 7-10, 2002"--Preface.

The 2000 U.S. Election

Models of Voting in Presidential Elections

Robert Biersack

Paul S. Herrnson

By 1990, there were over 4000 Political Action Committees (PACs) active and visible in the USA. This study covers various perspectives of PACs - size, contribution strategies, access to Washington information networks and issues - by means of diverse case studies.

PAC Decision Making and Strategy

Risky Business: PAC Decision Making and Strategy

Jeffrey M Berry

Considered the gold standard on interest group politics, this widely-used text analyzes interest groups within the intuitive framework of democratic theory, enabling readers to understand the workings of interest groups within the larger context of our political system. Comprehensive coverage includes not only the traditional farm, labor, and trade associations, but also citizen groups, public interest organizations, corporations, and public interest firms Brief in page count yet comprehensive in coverage, the book is flexible for different class settings. The book's rich content and lean size allows it to stand alone as the centerpiece of a course, or be assigned as one of several texts.

The Interest Group Society

Clifford W. Brown

Lynda W.. Powell

Lynda W. Powell

Professor Lynda W Powell

This study explores the fundamental differences between direct mail solicitation and personal-solicitation networks, and the influence of candidate resources in nomination campaigns. It is based on surveys and interviews with contributors and campaign fundraising professionals.

Fundraising and Contributing in Presidential Nomination Campaigns

Serious Money

John Clifford Green

Professor of Public Policy Mark J Rozell, PhD

Ted G Jelen

From the first rumblings of the Moral Majority over twenty years ago, the Christian Right has been marshalling its forces and maneuvering its troops in an effort to re-shape the landscape of American politics. It has fascinated social scientists and journalists as the first right-wing social movement in postwar America to achieve significant political and popular support, and it has repeatedly defied those who would step up to write its obituary. In 2000, while many touted the demise of the Christian Coalition, the broader undercurrents of the movement were instrumental in helping George W. Bush win the GOP nomination and the White House. Bush repaid that swell of support by choosing Senator John Ashcroft, once the movement's favored presidential candidate, as attorney general.

Marching to the Millennium

The Christian Right in American Politics

Craig A. Rimmerman

Same-sex marriage emerged in 2004 as one of the hottest issues of the campaign season. But in a severe blow to gay rights advocates, all eleven states that had the issue on the ballot passed amendments banning the practice, and the subject soon dropped off the media’s radar. This pattern of waxing and waning in the public eye has characterized the debate over same-sex marriage since 1996 and the passing of the Defense of Marriage Act. Since then, court rulings and local legislatures have kept the issue alive in the political sphere, and conservatives and gay rights advocates have made the issue a key battlefield in the culture wars. The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage brings together an esteemed list of scholars to explore all facets of this heated issue, including the ideologies and strategies on both sides of the argument, the public’s response, the use of the issue in political campaigns, and how same-sex marriage fits into the broad context of policy cycles and windows of political opportunity. With comprehensive coverage from a variety of different approaches, this volume will be a vital sourcebook for activists, politicians, and scholars alike.

The Politics of Same-Sex Marriage

Sue Thomas

This edition of Women and Elective Office offers the latest research on women as candidates and officeholders. It provides a comprehensive look at at the history and status of women in elective office, their prospects for the future, and why women in elected office matter to American democracy. It features all-new essays and up-to-the-minute research by leading experts in the field, including the latest political trends and events such as Hillary Rodham Clinton's run for the presidency, women's representation on the state and local level, the diversity of women officeholders' experiences and circumstances, and female judges. Women and Elective Office is an essential guide to understanding the past, present, and future of women in all echelons of government.

Past, Present, and Future

Women and Elective Office

The Clinton scandal consumed the better part of a year of American public life, bitterly dividing the nation and culminating in a constitutional crisis. In this book, thoughtful, nonpartisan essays provide an insightful and lasting analysis of one of the major political events of our time. Here leading scholars explore the long-reaching constitutional and political implications of the scandal: how it will affect the presidency, the law, and the political process. A first group of chapters considers effects of the scandal on institutions: the presidency, Congress, the courts, the independent counsel statute, executive privilege, and the impeachment process itself. A second section addresses political factors: public opinion, the media, and presidential character and personality. A concluding essay broadly examines the implications of the scandal for governance. These far-reaching essays address such issues as risks posed to Congressional political careers, the prospect of future presidents being subject to civil suits, the pros and cons of Kenneth Starr's investigation, the role of the media in breaking and then shaping the story, and ways of reforming the system to handle the unacceptable private behavior of future presidents. A provocative book for readers concerned with how our government copes with such a challenge, and an essential reader for courses on the presidency or American government, this collection will stand the tests of both time and rigorous analysis.

The Clinton Scandal and the Future of American Government

Associate Professor of Government and Director of Women's Studies Clyde Wilcox

Donald M. Hassler

As the science fiction writer Frederik Pohl observes in the lead essay, the contributors collectively find science fiction to be either implicitly or explicitly political by its very nature.

Political Science Fiction

The Christian Right in Twentieth-century America

God's Warriors

Presents a study of how political action committees (PACs) participated in the 1992 congressional election--an election heavily influenced by redistricting, incumbent retirements, and voter hostility toward Congress. Eighteen scholars participated in the study by conducting research on one or more PACs, following the committees from the early stages of the election cycle through the final days of the campaign. For students, scholars, and political practitioners. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

PAC Decisionmaking in Congressional Elections

Risky Business?

Paul S Herrnson

Christopher J Deering

New scholarship for a new paradigm in interest groups politics... The 2010 campaign and election was pivotal: the Republican takeover of the House, the advent of "super PACs," and record-breaking sums spent on a midterm election. More than ever before, interest groups were able to mobilize new resources and new technologies in a shifting set of House and Senate races. This timely volume explores--in a series of lively case studies--a cross-section of groups, communities, and networks that vividly illustrates the "unleashing" of interest group activity in the electoral process in response to Citizens United and other court cases and events.

Interest Groups Unleashed

Surveying the vast expanse of politically-charged science fiction, this book posits that the defining dilemma for these tales rests in whether identity and meaning germinate from progressive linear changes or progress, or from a continuous return to primitive realities of war, death and the competition for survival.

Clyde Wilcox

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