cover of The American Anomaly: U.S. Politics and Government in Comparative Perspective

The American Anomaly

U.S. Politics and Government in Comparative Perspective

By Raymond A. Smith

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About the Book

Students educated in the United States often come away from their classes with the belief that the American political system is the "best" such system in the world. They are often left with the idea that the very concept of democracy itself somehow demands that political institutions and processes be arranged as they are in the United States. Other democratic political systems are frequently regarded as deviations from this ideal model, or perhaps ignored altogether. Yet as students enter into the workforce, it becomes all the more important for them to understand that it is the American political system which, in many ways, is the exception and not the rule. These American anomalies have major implications for representation, governance, and public policymaking in the United States. Existing books in American politics and comparative politics, however, rarely emphasize this important dimension in sufficient depth for students to truly understand American politics in comparative perspective.

The American Anomaly systematically analyzes and explains the U.S. political system by way of comparison with other countries, especially other industrialized democracies. It is organized into three distinct sections, respectively covering the constitutional order, governmental institutions, and political participation. Extended case studies in each chapter draw on all the major regions of the world, including Western and Eastern Europe, the Middle East, Sub-Saharan Africa, East and Southeast Asia, Latin America, North America, and Oceania. Further examples are drawn from dozens of political systems and every chapter is specifically structured to include some discussion of politics in both Canada and Great Britain.

Each chapter additionally includes a number of special features, such as:

The companion website at http://www.routledge.com/textbooks/9780415957465/ offers useful tools such as Synopsis Slides, Questions for Discussion, Exploration Exercises, Links, and Further Reading.

Reviews

"One of the best ways to learn about American politics is to learn how politics works in other countries. Full of illuminating examples from the U.S. and abroad, The American Anomaly provides a unique, informative view of American politics, one that will provide readers with a much broader appreciation and understanding of politics in the U.S. than most textbooks."

--Charles Shipan, J. Ira and Nicki Harris Professor of Social Science, Department of Political Science, University of Michigan

"Smith provides an objective, even-handed analysis of the political and institutional differences between the U.S and other nations. The comparative analysis benefits from an impressive store of knowledge about political systems from all over the world. Smith does not unfairly scold nor does he unreasonably extol the United States. Students will gain a much needed perspective on U.S. government from this highly accessible comparative study."

-- Daniel Coffey, Fellow, Ray C. Bliss Institute of Applied Politics, Assistant Professor, University of Akron

"As democracy spreads globally, it is important to examine the many possible institutional variations under democratic systems, and for Americans to realize that their institutional choices are very often anomalies—not the majority selections. Smith's use of examples from around the world means that almost every reader will learn new details about the world's political systems. Innovatively placing U.S. government in comparative perspective, Smith allows Americans to have the opportunity to better understand their own political system, examine the origins of that distinctive system, and consider whether the country might benefit from importing the institutional and policy ideas of others."

--John Dietrich, Bryant University

Table of Contents

Part 1: The Constitutional Order 1. Types of Regimes, Nations, and States 2. The U.S. Constitution 3. Federalism 4. Separation of Powers Part 2: The Institutions of Government 5. The Executive Branch Bureaucracy 6. The Legislative Branch 7. The Judicial Branch Part 3: Political Participation 8. Voting and Elections 9. Political Parties and Interest Groups 10. Unconventional Political Participation 11. Public Opinion and Political Values

About the Author(s)

Raymond A. Smith (Ph.D., Columbia University) is Adjunct Assistant Professor of Political Science at Columbia University and New York University. Editor of the multi-volume book series "Political Participation in America," he teaches a variety of American politics courses at the undergraduate and graduate levels.