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Government in America: People, Politics, and Policy, 19th edition

Published by Pearson (May 6, 2025) © 2026

  • George C. Edwards Texas A&M University
  • Martin P. Wattenberg University of California - Irvine
  • William G. Howell University of Chicago

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In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

In this eTextbook — More ways to learn

  • More flexible. Start learning right away, on any device.
  • More supportive. Get AI explanations and practice questions (select titles).
  • More interactive. Bring learning to life with audio, videos, and diagrams.
  • More memorable. Make concepts stick with highlights, search, notes, and flashcards.
  • More understandable. Translate text into 100+ languages with one tap.

Title overview

Government in America: People, Politics and Policy shows how politics influences the policies that shape American society. The authors provide a framework for understanding the difficult questions that decision makers of both political parties are facing: how should we govern and what should government do? By examining the scope of government, the authors help you see how politics matters in your own life.

The 19th Edition has been updated to reflect recent changes, some of a historic magnitude, in politics, policy and participation. Topics covered include the 2024 presidential and congressional elections, recent Supreme Court decisions, and current policies on immigration, budgeting, environmental protection and more.

Table of contents

Part 1. Constitutional Foundations

  1. Introducing Government in America
  2. The Constitution
  3. Federalism
  4. Civil Liberties and Public Policy
  5. Civil Rights and Public Policy

Part 2. People and Politics

  1. Public Opinion and Political Action
  2. The Mass Media and the Political Agenda
  3. Political Parties
  4. Campaigns and Voting Behavior
  5. Interest Groups

Part 3. The Policymakers

  1. Congress
  2. The Presidency
  3. The Budget: The Politics of Taxing and Spending
  4. The Federal Bureaucracy
  5. The Federal Courts

Part 4. Policies

  1. Economic and Social Welfare Policymaking
  2. Policymaking for Health Care, the Environment and Energy
  3. Foreign Policymaking

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