American Democracy in Context. Joseph A. Pika

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      About the Authors

      John Anthony Malteseis the associate dean of the school of public and international affairs and the Albert B. Saye professor of political science at the University of Georgia. His books include The Selling of Supreme Court Nominees (winner of the C. Herman Pritchett Award), Spin Control: The White House Office of Communications and the Management of Presidential News, and, with Joseph A. Pika and Andrew Rudalevige, The Politics of the Presidency, currently in its tenth edition. He is a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and was named a Georgia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). He writes about classical music in his spare time, for which he has won a Grammy Award from the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences.Joseph A. Pikais the James R. Soles professor of political science and international relations emeritus at the University of Delaware, where he was recognized for excellence in teaching, advising, and service, the latter including seven years on the State Board of Education. Professor Pika’s areas of research include the American presidency and vice presidency, Delaware politics, and education policy. He has published multiple editions of Politics of the Presidency (the tenth edition, coauthored with John Maltese and Andrew Rudalevige, was published by CQ Press in Winter 2019), Confrontation and Compromise: Presidential and Congressional Leadership, 2001–2006 (with Jason Mycoff, Rowman & Littlefield, 2007), and The Presidential Contest (with Richard Watson, CQ Press, 1996). He is an avid sports fan and political activist.W. Phillips Shivelyis professor emeritus of political science at the University of Minnesota and has also served on the faculties of Yale University, the University of Oregon, and Oslo University, Norway. He has served as editor of the American Journal of Political Science, as program chair for the national meetings of the American Political Science Association, and as principal investigator and chair of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems project (CSES). At the University of Minnesota, he has been inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers for his work with students. His research centers on the comparative study of elections and statistical methods of research. Besides political science, Professor Shively’s other main loves are natural history and classical music.

      From left to right: Phil Shively, John Maltese, and Joe Pika.

      1 Democracy and American Politics

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       After reading this chapter, you should be able to do the following:

       Understand the nature of politics, government, and citizenship.

       Differentiate among the types of democracies that exist in the world and identify the qualities that make a government truly democratic.

       Examine the functions of government as well as some of the challenges and controversies that affect its ability to perform each function effectively.

       Identify the four basic American values and describe how these values help to define the character of American politics.

       Explore the primary political ideologies that have helped to inform contemporary political discourse in the United States.

       Understand how comparison and historical analysis can deepen our understanding of American politics.

      Perspective: What Difference Does Democracy Make?

      In the United States, trains covered with bright, fanciful graffiti are often seen rolling down the tracks. The graffiti constitutes vandalism, but while vandalizing property by painting graffiti is illegal in most states and cities, authorities do not usually enforce the laws against it very strictly. In fact, some Americans admire graffiti as an elevated art form, romanticizing graffiti artists as individuals who thumb their noses at the government.

      It is different in Singapore. In 1994, 18-year-old American student Michael Fay ran afoul of Singapore’s stringent laws protecting order and cleanliness. Singaporean police arrested Fay for stealing highway signs and vandalizing a car by scratching its paint. His court sentence: four months in jail, a fine of over $2,000, and four strokes with a cane. The caning—a common punishment in Singapore—was administered with a six-foot long, one-inch-thick cane that can cause serious injury. Other acts that are not necessarily considered crimes in the United States but can draw similarly serious punishments in Singapore include spitting in public, selling chewing gum, or failing to flush the toilet in a public restroom.

      Singapore was a British colony until it became independent in 1965. Today, it is a prosperous financial center and technology exporter. Average incomes in Singapore are somewhat higher than those in the United States; crime rates are low; and the country is very clean, partly because of its stringent punishments for graffiti and similar offenses that other countries would consider minor. Its government is one of the least corrupt in the world.

      Although efficient and prosperous, Singapore is not a democracy. Its government СКАЧАТЬ