Rather than simply focusing on how institutions work, this reader helps students to understand how they can be made to work better. Each pro or con essay considers a concrete proposal for reforming the political system. By focusing on institutions, rather than liberal or conservative public policies, students tend to leave behind ideology and grapple with claims and evidence to draw their own conclusions and build their own arguments.
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Composed of pro and con essays written by top scholars in the field, this book considers key questions about reforming political institutions.
Preface
Contributors
The Constitution
1 Resolved, Article V should be revised to make it easier to amend the Constitution and to call a constitutional convention
PRO: - SANFORD LEVINSON
CON: - DAVID E. KYVIG
Democracy
2 Resolved, American democracy needs less sunshine and more closed-door negotiations
PRO: - BRUCE E. CAIN
CON: - GARY D. BASS, DANIELLE BRIAN, AND NORMAN EISEN
Culture
3 Resolved, Andrew Jackson should be removed from the $20 bill
PRO: - BRIAN A. WEINER
CON: - MARK CHEATHEM
Federalism
4 Resolved, Congress should restore each state's freedom to set its drinking age
PRO: - JOHN MCCARDELL
CON: - JAMES C. FELL
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties
5 Resolved, Congress should pass the Democracy Restoration Act restoring the right to vote in federal elections to people with criminal records
PRO: - ERIKA L. WOOD
CON: - ROGER CLEGG
6 Resolved, states should enact voter ID laws and reduce early voting
PRO: - MICHAEL NELSON
CON: - KEITH GUNNAR BENTELE AND ERIN O'BRIEN
Political Participation
7 Resolved, The United States should adopt a national initiative and referendum
PRO: - TODD DONOVAN
CON: - RICHARD J. ELLIS
8 Resolved, The United States should adopt compulsory voting
PRO: - MARTIN P. WATTENBERG
CON: - JASON BRENNAN
Campaigns and Elections
9 Resolved, Congress should remove the caps on the amount that individuals can contribute to candidates for federal office
PRO: - JOHN SAMPLES
CON: - RICHARD BRIFFAULT
Political Parties
10 Resolved, political parties should nominate candidates for president in a national primary
PRO: - CAROLINE J. TOLBERT
CON: - DAVID P. REDLAWSK
Interest Groups
11 Resolved, Congress should bring back earmarks
PRO: - SCOTT A. FRISCH AND SEAN Q KELLY
CON: - JEFFREY LAZARUS
House of Representatives
12 Resolved, proportional representation should be adopted for U.S. House elections
PRO: - DOUGLAS J. AMY
CON: - BRENDAN J. DOHERTY
13 Resolved, the redistricting process should be nonpartisan
PRO: - ELAINE C. KAMARCK
CON: - JUSTIN BUCHLER
Senate
14 Resolved, the Senate should represent people, not states
PRO: - BRUCE I. OPPENHEIMER
CON: - JOHN J. PITNEY JR.
15 Resolved, Senate Rule XXII should be amended so that filibusters can be ended by a majority vote
PRO: - STEVEN S. SMITH
CON: - WENDY J. SCHILLER
Presidency
16 Resolved, the electoral college should be abolished
PRO: - GEORGE C. EDWARDS III
CON: - GARY L. GREGG II
17 Resolved, the Twenty-Second Amendment should be repealed
PRO: - DAVID A. CROCKETT
CON: - MICHAEL J. KORZI
Bureaucracy
18 Resolved, bring back the bureaucrats
PRO: - JOHN DILULIO
CON: - BRAD DEWEES
Judiciary
19 Resolved, the terms of Supreme Court justices should be limited to eighteen years
PRO: - DAVID KAROL
CON: - WARD FARNSWORTH
Domestic Policy
20 Resolved, Americans should receive four more years of free public education
PRO: - ROBERT SAMUELS
CON: - NEAL MCCLUSKEY
National Security and Foreign Policy
21 Resolved, national security would be strengthened by requiring the government to keep fewer secrets and become more transparent
PRO: - MICHAEL COLARESI
CON: - STEPHEN F. KNOTT
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"Debating Reform gets students thinking about government in ways that require critical analysis. Government is not static-it is something fluid and ever-changing. Through these readings, students are called to engage in a conversation not only about what government is, but also about what it could be." -- Chris Shortell"The book is an excellent addition to the introductory American politics course. It covers a wide range of issues that provide focal points for class discussion, and it facilitates in-depth consideration of how institutional frameworks affect outcomes. In the past, I've been largely unimpressed by readers that take a pro/con approach since they tend to oversimplify complex issues. The essays in the Ellis and Nelson book generally avoid this oversimplification, and the competing perspectives encourage students to think about how both current rules and potential reforms can affect incentives and choices." -- Scott Meinke
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Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781506333649
Publisert
2016-10-17
Utgave
3. utgave
Utgiver
Vendor
CQ Press
Vekt
580 gr
Høyde
228 mm
Bredde
152 mm
Aldersnivå
05, U
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Heftet
Antall sider
424