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Few Americans and even fewer citizens of other nations understand
the electoral process in the United States. Still fewer understand
the role played by political parties in the electoral process or
the ironies within the system. Participation in elections in the
United States is much lower than in the vast majority of mature
democracies. Perhaps this is because of the lack of competition in
a country where only two parties have a true chance of winning,
despite the fact that a large number of citizens claim allegiance
to neither and think badly of both. Or perhaps it is because in the
U.S. campaign contributions disproportionately favor incumbents in
most legislative elections, or that largely unregulated groups such
as the now notorious 527 organizations have as much impact on the
outcome of a campaign as do the parties or the candidates'
campaigns. For instance, in two of the last six presidential
elections, the winner of the popular vote lost the election in the
Electoral College; in two others, a change of fewer than 100,000
votes in selected states would have led to the same result. These
factors offer a very clear picture of the problems that underlie
our much trumpeted electoral system. The third edition of this Very
Short Introduction analyzes these issues and more. Accounting for
changes in electoral coalitions and the extent to which the
American electorate is polarized in the wake of Donald Trump, L.
Sandy Maisel explains how the system actually works while shining a
light on some of its flaws. He also looks closely at turnout
questions; efforts both to ease access to the ballot in some states
and to restrict access in others; and the role of social media in
campaign strategy.
For a number of years, voters and academic observers have been
dissatisfied with a number of elements of American campaigns.
Contemporary races are seen as too negative, too superficial, and
too unfair or misleading. Based on these complaints, a variety of
reform organizations have targeted millions of dollars to improve
the situation. Through their efforts and those within the academic
community, a wide range of reform initiatives have been undertaken,
such as voluntary codes of conduct, industry self-regulation,
certificate programs, tougher ethics rules for consultants, and the
encouragement of more substantive venues. This book seeks to
evaluate whether these activities have improved the level of
campaign discourse and conduct in US House and Senate campaigns and
argues that while individual reform efforts have achieved some of
their stated objectives, the overall effect of these reform efforts
has been disappointing.
For a number of years, voters and academic observers have been
dissatisfied with a number of elements of American campaigns.
Contemporary races are seen as too negative, too superficial, and
too unfair or misleading. Based on these complaints, a variety of
reform organizations have targeted millions of dollars to improve
the situation. Through their efforts and those within the academic
community, a wide range of reform initiatives have been undertaken,
such as voluntary codes of conduct, industry self-regulation,
certificate programs, tougher ethics rules for consultants, and the
encouragement of more substantive venues. This book seeks to
evaluate whether these activities have improved the level of
campaign discourse and conduct in US House and Senate campaigns and
argues that while individual reform efforts have achieved some of
their stated objectives, the overall effect of these reform efforts
has been disappointing.
Questions of ethics and politics have a long tradition in the
classroom as well as the political world. Those who act in the
political realm-including the media, political strategists and
consultants, educators, and religious leaders-are in professions
for which a clear code of conduct or an accepted set of ethical
norms exists. By contrast, Donald J. Trump, as candidate and as
President, has upended the political and ethical context in which
he and others operate. This book explores emerging ethical
questions that face professionals interacting with a new executive
order. Some say the age of Trump is unique and that the norms of
ethical professional behavior must be bent to meet this challenge.
Others maintain that responding to someone like Trump is precisely
why their profession has ethical norms, and that they must put
their judgments on hold and respond in what has always been deemed
the appropriate professional manner. Each chapter opens with an
introduction setting the framework of ethical analysis for a
particular profession, is followed by original contributions by
notable practitioners, and concludes with a set of questions for
students and other readers to ponder and discuss.
Questions of ethics and politics have a long tradition in the
classroom as well as the political world. Those who act in the
political realm-including the media, political strategists and
consultants, educators, and religious leaders-are in professions
for which a clear code of conduct or an accepted set of ethical
norms exists. By contrast, Donald J. Trump, as candidate and as
President, has upended the political and ethical context in which
he and others operate. This book explores emerging ethical
questions that face professionals interacting with a new executive
order. Some say the age of Trump is unique and that the norms of
ethical professional behavior must be bent to meet this challenge.
Others maintain that responding to someone like Trump is precisely
why their profession has ethical norms, and that they must put
their judgments on hold and respond in what has always been deemed
the appropriate professional manner. Each chapter opens with an
introduction setting the framework of ethical analysis for a
particular profession, is followed by original contributions by
notable practitioners, and concludes with a set of questions for
students and other readers to ponder and discuss.
Most citizens know how elections work in their own country, but not
all elections are created equally. Elections occur in all
democracies and many non-democratic regimes as well. They determine
who will hold public office and who will have the power to govern.
They connect citizens to those whom they choose to make decisions
on their behalf and who regulate their behavior. This book looks
comparatively at the key aspects of elections. In addition to
describing types of electoral systems, it discusses the
implications of the various systems for the administration of
elections, voter participation, representation, government
stability, and other factors. Where appropriate, it examines
efforts to reform a nation's (or a sub-national entity's) system,
exploring the impetus for reform and the effects of those reforms
when implemented. Elections: A Very Short Introduction asks readers
to view election systems critically and comparatively, to
understand that all democracies do not function in the same way, to
think about the reasons their system functions as it does-for good
or ill-and to consider alternatives with which they might not
previously have been familiar. L. Sandy Maisel and Jennifer A.
Yoder lay out the variety of electoral systems in the broadest
terms- single-member district plurality systems; proportional
systems; and mixed systems. They discuss voting and the various
electoral institutions used to implement the ways in which voting
occurs and how votes are tabulated across electoral systems. They
analyze the consequences of each system, first for the functioning
of the democracy, and second for the electoral strategies
politicians employ, closing with a discussion of reforms under
consideration in a number of countries.
The Oxford Handbook of American Political Parties and Interest
Groups is a major new volume that will help scholars assess the
current state of scholarship on parties and interest groups and the
directions in which it needs to move. Never before has the academic
literature on political parties received such an extended
treatment. Twenty nine chapters critically assess both the major
contributions to the literature and the ways in which it has
developed. With contributions from most of the leading scholars in
the field, the volume provides a definitive point of reference for
all those working in and around the area. Equally important, the
authors also identify areas of new and interesting research. These
chapters offer a distinctive point of view, an argument about the
successes and failures of past scholarship, and a set of
recommendations about how future work ought to develop. This volume
will help set the agenda for research on political parties and
interest groups for the next decade. The Oxford Handbooks of
American Politics are a set of reference books offering
authoritative and engaging critical overviews of the state of
scholarship on American politics. Each volume focuses on a
particular aspect of the field. The project is under the General
Editorship of George C. Edwards III, and distinguished specialists
in their respective fields edit each volume. The Handbooks aim not
just to report on the discipline, but also to shape it as scholars
critically assess the scholarship on a topic and propose directions
in which it needs to move. The series is an indispensable reference
for anyone working in American politics. General Editor for The
Oxford Handbooks of American Politics: George C. Edwards III
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