Citizen Guides to Politics and Public Affairs
About the Book Series
Each book in this series is framed around a significant but not well-understood subject that is integral to citizens'--both students and the general public--full understanding of politics and participation in public affairs. In accessible language, these titles provide readers with the tools for understanding the root issues in political life. Individual volumes are brief and engaging, written in short readable chapters without extensive citations or footnoting. Together they are part of an essential library to equip us all for fuller engagement with the issues of our times.
A Citizen's Guide to Terrorism and Counterterrorism
2nd Edition
By Christopher C. Harmon
December 31, 2020
This Citizen’s Guide addresses the public policy issues of terrorism and counterterrorism in the United States. Written for the thinking citizen and student alike, this succinct and up-to-date book takes a “grand strategy” approach toward terrorism and uses examples and issues drawn from ...
A Citizen’s Guide to the Political Psychology of Voting
1st Edition
By David P. Redlawsk, Michael W. Habegger
April 17, 2020
In the run-up to a contentious 2020 presidential election, the much-maligned American voter may indeed be wondering, “How did we get here?” A Citizen’s Guide to the Political Psychology of Voting offers a way of thinking about how voters make decisions that provides both hope and concern. In many ...
A Citizen's Guide to U.S. Elections: Empowering Democracy in America
1st Edition
By Costas Panagopoulos, Aaron Weinschenk
December 02, 2015
Political observers routinely lament that American democracy is broken, and many of them blame electoral malfunction. But is the system really broken? Panagopoulos and Weinschenk make the case that citizens are empowered to fix what’s wrong with electoral politics and renew democracy in America, ...
A Citizen's Guide to Presidential Nominations: The Competition for Leadership
1st Edition
By Wayne P. Steger
April 08, 2015
Presidential nominations in the United States can sometimes seem like a media circus, over-hyped and overly speculative. Even informed citizens might be tempted to tune them out. Yet understanding the process, one distinct to American politics, is crucial for civic participation. If presidential ...
A Citizen's Guide to Deficits and Debt: The Politics of Taxing, Spending, and Borrowing
1st Edition
By William E. Hudson
December 18, 2013
America is currently involved in one of the worst economic crises of modern times. As alarm increases over how the government will balance the budget, handle the debt, and maintain prosperity for the future, the minutia of debts and deficits remains incomprehensible to many. Why is it so hard to ...
A Citizen's Guide to American Foreign Policy: Tragic Choices and the Limits of Rationality
1st Edition
By David Patrick Houghton
November 12, 2013
American foreign policy often looks like a trail of man-made debris and disaster. Of course, the explanations for many poorly-made decisions are rather complex. In this brief and cogent analysis, Houghton shows us that understanding American foreign policy often comes down to recognizing the ...
A Citizen's Guide to the Constitution and the Supreme Court: Constitutional Conflict in American Politics
1st Edition
By Morgan Marietta
July 17, 2013
The U.S. Constitution is a blueprint for a free society as well as a source of enduring conflict over how that society must be governed. The competing ways of reading our founding document shape the decisions of the Supreme Court, which acts as the final voice on constitutional questions. This ...
A Citizen's Guide to American Ideology: Conservatism and Liberalism in Contemporary Politics
1st Edition
By Morgan Marietta
October 26, 2011
Conservatives and Liberals often resort to cartoon images of the opposing ideology, relying on broadly defined caricatures to illustrate their opposition. To help us get past these stereotypes, this short, punchy book explains the two dominant political ideologies in America today, providing a ...