Contract With America

Dye's detailed explanation of the why as well as the what of American politics (xv) provides a context for such continuing controversies as the call to return program areas to states and municipalities. In addition, revised and expanded consideration of constitutional issues in the seventh edition "seeks to explain what is limited by constitutional government and what the differences are between representational and direct democracy." As the title indicates, Dye is interested in helping students understand politics, which he sees as the interpersonal process that shapes both who decides and what is decided in the public arena. That emphasis adds some drama to the standard textbook format withs its bulleted headings, illustrations and graphs designed to clarify the various levels of government and their interrelationships with one other.

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vics course that studies the national government in the first semester, the text features a wealth of information on state and local government mechanics, appearing mainly in the middle third of the book, which is organized first by structure (state legislatures, governors, courts, municipal organizations) and then by issue (community power structures, minority politics, education, planning and welfare). A chapter on budgeting and taxation, that bedrock of governmental activity, ends the book. A student who has worked through its 18 chapters and 500 pages will gain a solid understanding of the structures and basic operation of state and local governments, as well as the importance of partisan politics and local and regional differences in shaping many issues. The three-chapter introductory section introduces political principles, places them into a modern political context and provides a background in state and national constitutional requirements and federalism. This context becomes crucial in understanding issues that come later. For example, in "Minority Politics" and "Civil Rights," Chapter 14, a section on affirmative action discusses constitutional questions, the Bakke case, affirmative action in the courts, state affirm
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Approximate Word count = 1566
Approximate Pages = 6 (250 words per page)

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