American Government and Politics

American Government and Politics explains both how the US governmental system works and why it works this way. American Government and Politics is a comprehensive introduction to the structure and dynamics of government and politics in the United States of America. It combines contemporary examples with a rich historical context supported by authoritative and engaging multimedia recommendations to help students explore the topic further. An integrated data-driven approach fosters critical thinking, evidence-based debate, and analytical skills. Expert authors adopt a data-driven approach to explain clearly how the US governmental system works, and why it works this way. By combining historical context with contemporary examples, this text helps students develop a deeper understanding of US politics and engage critically with the forces shaping it. The 'Exploring Further' feature provides engaging multimedia recommendations to broaden students' understanding, and to support students' exploration of information and perspectives from trustworthy and reputable sources. By being exposed to robust data in the Digging Deeper with Data feature, and pivotal moments in US politics in the Key Debate and Key Event features, students are equipped with a broader understanding of the evolution of US government and politics, painting a research-driven, comprehensive understanding of US politics today.

Amy Melissa McKay is Professor of Political Science at the University of Exeter in Exeter, UK. She studies the politics of policymaking especially in the US but also in the UK and in comparative context. She is particularly focused on understanding how lobbying, interest groups, and campaign spending influence policy outcomes. She is the author of Stealth Lobbying: Interest Group Influence and Health Care Reform (Cambridge University Press, 2022) as well as articles in journals such as Political Research Quarterly, Nature Human Behaviour, and Interest Groups & Advocacy. She previously taught at Georgia State University and the University of Iowa, and she was an American Political Science Association Congressional Fellow in the office of a US senator where she worked on health reform legislation in 2009. She is the lead Co-PI on a grant investigating how interesting group shape the agendas of national legislatures in the US, UK, Germany, and the Netherlands. Graham O'Dwyer is a Lecturer in Politics and International Relations at the University of Reading, having previously taught at the University of Kent. He specialises in American foreign policy, US environmental policy, and the values and traditions that shape political institutions and policy outcomes in Washington. His present work explores how US national parks connect environmentalism with foreign policy, shaping America's global environmental identity. His previous work, Charles de Gaulle, the International System, and the Existential Difference (Routledge, 2017), examined how ideas and national identity shaped Franco-American relations during the Cold War. Daniel Stevens is Professor of Politics at the University of Exeter. His research on political behaviour and political communication mostly focuses on the United States and Great Britain. He is the author of the books Truth in Advertising: Lies in Political Advertising and How They Affect the Electorate (2018), with Barbara Allen, Everyday Security Threats: Perceptions, Experiences and Consequences (2017), with Nick Vaughan-Williams, and co-editor, with Susan Banducci, Laszlo Horvath and Ekaterina Kolpinskaya of Media and the British General Elections of 2015-19 (2025). Andrew Wroe is a senior lecturer in American politics at the University of Kent in the UK. He was previously chair of the UK Political Studies Association American Politics Group. His research interests include political trust, polarization, immigration policy, and the Republican party. He has authored, co-authored and edited many articles and books on American politics, including: The Republican Party and Immigration Politics: From Proposition 187 to George W. Bush (Palgrave Macmillan, 2008); The Ordinary Presidency of Donald J. Trump, with Jon Herbert and Trevor McCrisken (Palgrave Macmillan, 2019); and Developments in American Politics 10, with Gillian Peele, Jon Herbert and Raymond La Raja (Palgrave Macmillan 2026).