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THE BOOK’S “THREE KEY IDEAS”—politics is confl ic-
tual, political process matters, and politics is everywhere—
are fully integrated throughout the text.
¾ Politics Is Confl ictual and confl ict and compromise
are a normal, healthy part of politics. The questions
debated in elections and the policy options considered
by people in government are generally marked by dis-
agreement at all levels. Making policy typically involves
important issues on which people disagree, sometimes
strongly; so compromise, bargaining, and tough choices
about trade-off s are often necessary.
¾ Political Process Matters because it is the mechanism
we have established to resolve confl icts and achieve
compromise. Governmental actions result from con-
scious choices made by voters, elected offi cials, and
bureaucrats. The media often cover political issues in
the same way they do sporting events, and while this
makes for entertaining news, it also leads citizens to
overlook the institutions, rules, and procedures that
have a decisive infl uence on American life. Politics
really is not just a game.
¾ Politics Is Everywhere in that the results of the politi-
cal process aff ect all aspects of Americans’ everyday
lives. Politics governs what people can and cannot do,
their quality of life, and how they think about events,
other people, and situations.
CONFLICT AND COMPROMISE CHAPTER OPENERS
refl ect our “politics is confl ictual” emphasis. Each chapter
begins with an example of confl ict in American politics,
FEATURES OF THE TEXT
from debates over what the Constitution means to disagree-
ments within the Democratic and Republican parties. In
the Third Edition, all of these openers are new. Within each
chapter and especially in the chapter conclusions, we return
to the examples, showing how disagreements and eff orts to
mitigate them shape every area of American politics.A NEW ORGANIZATION AROUND CHAPTER GOALS
stresses learning objectives and mastery of core material.
¾ Chapter Goals appear at the beginning of the chapter and
then recur at the start of the relevant sections throughout
the chapter to create a more active reading experience that
emphasizes important learning objectives.
¾ NEW: Extensive end-of-chapter review sections
organized around the Chapter Goals include section
summaries, practice quiz questions, key terms, and sug-
gested reading lists. Students have everything they need
to master the material in each section of the chapter.BOXED FEATURES reinforce the three key ideas while
introducing other important ways to think about American
politics.
¾ NEW “How It Works” infographics show how the polit-
ical process works and how it resolves (or fails to resolve)
confl icts. These complement the chapter-opening sto-
ries, depicting the processes that underlie the confl icts
and compromises we see in American politics. Critical-
thinking questions ask students to consider the implica-
tions of the process and how it aff ects the outcome.