The Logic of American Politics

by Samuel Kernell, Gary C. Jacobson, Thad Kousser

The American people―and their government―are deeply at odds over how best to overcome the obstacles currently facing the country. After observing the strains of intense partisanship and divided government, your students are probably asking what logic, if any, can be found in politics. The new fifth edition of Logic reaffirms this best-seller’s place as the most accessible "smart" book on the market. Weaving together historical context, current politics, and analytic concepts, Logic builds students’ understanding of political institutions and practices as imperfect solutions to collective action problems. Consistently praised for its engaging narrative, Logic hooks students with great storytelling while arming them with a "toolkit" of institutional design concepts―command, veto, agenda control, voting rules, delegation. Walking students through examples of how each concept works, the authors also highlight passages that apply collective action themes so students cannot miss key points. Up-to-date in its coverage of such hot-button issues as health care and financial reform, the midterm elections, and racial profiling and immigration, this fifth edition also pays special attention to political polarization. Throughout the book, the authors consistently return to the country’s divide―among constituents and in government―as they guide students through the fundamentals of American politics. More than 100 tables, figures, and maps offer visual context to an array of political data and analysis, while over 230 carefully chosen photographs enhance the book’s examples and insights. Bolded key terms, a glossary, annotated reading lists, review questions, and a companion website help students read, think, and study.

Genres: Politics, Nonfiction, Textbooks, Read For School, Philosophy, School

840 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1999

Reviews

[Jeremy · Rating 3 out of 5]

(This is a review of the 2018 edition (8th). I couldn't get Goodreads to upload that review into my books, so I'm putting this here)

So this was the intro text I used with my first teaching of Intro at the undergraduate level in 15 years. It wasn't a bad book. It's very current, with examples from the Trump-Hillary campaign and early days of the admin. It has everything that I consider mandatory, such as Federalist 10 and 51, the Constitution, the major institutions, the forces that shape political attitudes and behavior.

If it has a bias, it is the way it structures around the ideas of Olson. The title gives it away--the logic of collective action is an abiding concern. Jargon from that way of thinking about politics is present in most chapters. It is not rigidly economic or public choice, though. Criticisms of that perspective are frequent.

I think the text is a bit dry, although I haven't seen what the students made of it yet. Still, it could be written much more vividly, choose a few more relevant or current examples, and ask better questions.

So--entirely adequate is a fair summary. And yes, I did assign the whole thing.

[Dami · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this for my Introduction to American Government class, while I attended that class, and from reading this book, I've learned a little bit more about politics.

[Bailee · Rating 2 out of 5]

The ninth edition is extremely biased.

[Olivia Schaffer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I HATE THIS BOOK AND THE CLASS AMERICAN POLITICS!!!!!!

[brenna :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used this text for a summer course, and I deserve to record it here because 1) it is a book and 2) by jove, I read it.
Overall, I did enjoy it. It was easy to understand, and the examples and explanations were very helpful. My only complaint? It was quite wordy. But that’s American politics for you.

[Alex Nelson · Rating 4 out of 5]

A decent "intro-to-American-politics" textbook, coquetted with game theoretic flirtations but nothing serious.

Probably not the book I was looking/hoping for (i.e., it's not setting up a game theoretic model of congress). That said, I must confess I was a little disappointed.

The title is misleading, but that's my perspective as someone researching the foundations of mathematics for a living. "The Logic of ___" implies the description of a formal system, a type theoretic calculus...this book failed to deliver. (That said, I'm probably the only person in the world with that expectation.)

[Kendra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read for Intro to American Politics. We covered quite a lot of the chapters. I think it was pretty good as far as textbooks go. Some odd sentence structure here and there but overall did a good job laying out the theory (first chapter) and then weaving that theory throughout the rest of the rest of the text. My professor purposefully didn't teach us the civil rights and civil liberties chapters because he thinks they're terrible and often offensive to students, so I can't vouch for those.

[Ben · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an excellent textbook that I read for PLS 100: Introduction to American Government. The textt covered a wide range of topics and although at times it provided the reader with stimulating information and examples.

[Quasar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Completed for my government class, this textbook is not helpful when you have a good lecturer. I wish I had been asked to read something else as my main text, but I finished the dang thing, so there.