Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Government?
![]() 208 pp., 7 x 10 Paperback ISBN: 9781589010055 (1589010051) eBook ISBN: 9781589013490 E-Inspection Request E-Inspection April 2004 LC: 2003019468 EXPLORE THIS TITLE DescriptionTable of Contents Reviews |
Is This Any Way to Run a Democratic Government?
Stephen J. Wayne, Editor
Has our system of checks and balances between the three branches of our federal government undergone changes for good or ill over the years since the Constitution was set as the cornerstone of our nation? How stand our political traditions, our personal freedoms, our purported equality, our sense of governance "of, by, and for the people"? Are we the democratic nation we set out to be, or do we have a distance to go to achieve this ideal? Alternatively, is approaching a democratic ideal desirable today in the light of the smaller, more integrated, and dangerous world in which we live? Stephen J. Wayne is a professor of government at Georgetown University and the author of The Road to the White House, and coauthor of Presidential Leadership.
Reviews
"Wayne and his contributors offer a thoughtful collection of essays on the theory and practice of American democracy. The questions that they examine are crucial to understanding the American system of government today, especially as the nation confronts issues of civic participation, balancing civil rights with fighting the war on terrorism, creating a fair campaign finance system, restraining presidential powers, among others. This volume provides a useful framework for analyzing this variety of issues confronting our democratic system and thus would be a nice supplemental text for courses in democratic theory or contemporary American politics."—Mark J. Rozell, professor and chair, Department of Politics, The Catholic University of America; and co-editor of The Christian Right in American Politics: Marching to the Millennium "The title of this book asks the right question, and Wayne and his contributors provide cutting-edge public law and political science responses. If you want your students to get up to speed on the most important issues in the study of American politics, this volume would be a good place to start."—Richard M. Pious, Adolph and Effie Ochs Professor of American Studies, Barnard College; and author of The Presidency Table of Contents Preface Part I: Democratic Theory 1. Issues of Democratic Governance Stephen J. Wayne 2. The Civic Foundations of American Democracy Beth Stark Part II: A Democratic Congress? 3. Campaign Contributors and Democracy Peter Francia, John C. Green, Wesley Joe, Paul S. Herrnson, Lynda W. Powell, Benjamin Webster, and Clyde Wilcox 4. Money and the Possibility of Democratic Governance Michael Bailey 5. Women in Congress: Descriptive Representation and Democratic Governance Courtenay Daum Part III: A Democratic Executive? 6. A Government That Looks Like America? Joseph A. Ferrara 7. The Promise and Peril of Presidential Polling: Between Gallup's Dream and the Morris Nightmare Jeremy D. Mayer and Lynn Kirby 8. Democratic Government and the Unilateral Presidency Margaret Tseng 9. Can the Federal Budget Be Democratic? OMB's Invisible Hand Lynn Ross Part IV: A Democratic Judiciary? 10. Does a Real Democracy Need Judicial Review? The Supreme Court as an Antidemocratic Institution Emily H. Hoechst 11. Entering the "Political Thicket": The Unintended Consequences of the Supreme Court's Reapportionment Decisions Steve Glickman Conclusion 12. Is This Any Way To Run A Democratic Government? Stephen J. Wayne |