Lawrence R. Jacobs Professor of Political Science University of Minnesota's Books

Politicians Don't Pander

Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs,Robert Y. Shapiro

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Politicians Don't Pander

Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs,Robert Y. Shapiro

In this provocative and engagingly written book, the authors argue that politicians seldom tailor their policy decisions to "pander" to public opinion. In fact, they say that when not facing election, contemporary presidents and members of Congress routinely ignore the public's preferences and follow their own political philosophies. 37 graphs.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

454

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226389839

ISBN 13

9780226389837

Class War?

What Americans Really Think about Economic Inequality

By: Benjamin I. Page,Lawrence R. Jacobs

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Class War?

What Americans Really Think about Economic Inequality

By: Benjamin I. Page,Lawrence R. Jacobs

Recent battles in Washington over how to fix America’s fiscal failures strengthened the widespread impression that economic issues sharply divide average citizens. Indeed, many commentators split Americans into two opposing groups: uncompromising supporters of unfettered free markets and advocates for government solutions to economic problems. But such dichotomies, Benjamin Page and Lawrence Jacobs contend, ring false. In Class War? they present compelling evidence that most Americans favor free enterprise and practical government programs to distribute wealth more equitably. At every income level and in both major political parties, majorities embrace conservative egalitarianism—a philosophy that prizes individualism and self-reliance as well as public intervention to help Americans pursue these ideals on a level playing field. Drawing on hundreds of opinion studies spanning more than seventy years, including a new comprehensive survey, Page and Jacobs reveal that this worldview translates to broad support for policies aimed at narrowing the gap between rich and poor and creating genuine opportunity for all. They find, for example, that across economic, geographical, and ideological lines, most Americans support higher minimum wages, improved public education, wider access to universal health insurance coverage, and the use of tax dollars to fund these programs. In this surprising and heartening assessment, Page and Jacobs provide our new administration with a popular mandate to combat the economic inequity that plagues our nation.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

158

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226644561

ISBN 13

9780226644561

Who Governs?

Presidents, Public Opinion, and Manipulation

By: James N. Druckman,Lawrence R. Jacobs

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Who Governs?

Presidents, Public Opinion, and Manipulation

By: James N. Druckman,Lawrence R. Jacobs

America’s model of representational government rests on the premise that elected officials respond to the opinions of citizens. This is a myth, however, not a reality, according to James N. Druckman and Lawrence R. Jacobs. In Who Governs?, Druckman and Jacobs combine existing research with novel data from US presidential archives to show that presidents make policy by largely ignoring the views of most citizens in favor of affluent and well-connected political insiders. Presidents treat the public as pliable, priming it to focus on personality traits and often ignoring it on policies that fail to become salient. Melding big debates about democratic theory with existing research on American politics and innovative use of the archives of three modern presidents—Johnson, Nixon, and Reagan—Druckman and Jacobs deploy lively and insightful analysis to show that the conventional model of representative democracy bears little resemblance to the actual practice of American politics. The authors conclude by arguing that polyarchy and the promotion of accelerated citizen mobilization and elite competition can improve democratic responsiveness. An incisive study of American politics and the flaws of representative government, this book will be warmly welcomed by readers interested in US politics, public opinion, democratic theory, and the fecklessness of American leadership and decision-making.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

205

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

022623455X

ISBN 13

9780226234557

Presidential Power

Forging the Presidency for the Twenty-first Century

By: Robert Y. Shapiro,Martha Joynt Kumar,Lawrence R. Jacobs

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Presidential Power

Forging the Presidency for the Twenty-first Century

By: Robert Y. Shapiro,Martha Joynt Kumar,Lawrence R. Jacobs

A collection of essays that reevaluates Richard Neustadt's place in presidential studies and shows that, while Neustadt's classic work remains a beacon for the study of the presidency, it no longer offers a reliable roadmap embodying the consensus among contemporary scholars.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

544

Publisher

Columbia University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0231109326

ISBN 13

9780231109321

Talking Together

Public Deliberation and Political Participation in America

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs,Fay Lomax Cook,Michael X. Delli Carpini

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Talking Together

Public Deliberation and Political Participation in America

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs,Fay Lomax Cook,Michael X. Delli Carpini

Challenging the conventional wisdom that Americans are less engaged than ever in national life and the democratic process, Talking Together paints the most comprehensive portrait available of public deliberation in the United States and explains why it is important to America’s future. The authors’ original and extensive research reveals how, when, and why citizens talk to each other about the issues of the day. They find that—in settings ranging from one-on-one conversations to e-mail exchanges to larger and more formal gatherings—a surprising two-thirds of Americans regularly participate in public discussions about such pressing issues as the Iraq War, economic development, and race relations. Pinpointing the real benefits of public discourse while considering arguments that question its importance, Talking Together presents an authoritative and clear-eyed assessment of deliberation’s function in American governance. In the process, it offers concrete recommendations for increasing the power of talk to foster political action.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

222

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226389898

ISBN 13

9780226389899

The Health of Nations

Public Opinion and the Making of American and British Health Policy

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Health of Nations

Public Opinion and the Making of American and British Health Policy

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs

Uses extensive primary research on the formulation of the American Medicare Act of 1965 and the British National Health Service Act of 1946 to explain the sources of contemporary health policy in each country. The study represents an alternative way of understanding policy making in liberal democracy, i.e. investigation into the sources for the differences in legislation produced by two broadly similar countries. Annotation copyright by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

292

Publisher

Cornell University Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0801427614

ISBN 13

9780801427619

The Private Abuse of the Public Interest

Market Myths and Policy Muddles

By: Lawrence D. Brown,Lawrence R. Jacobs

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

The Private Abuse of the Public Interest

Market Myths and Policy Muddles

By: Lawrence D. Brown,Lawrence R. Jacobs

Despite George W. Bush’s professed opposition to big government, federal spending has increased under his watch more quickly than it did during the Clinton administration, and demands on government have continued to grow. Why? Lawrence Brown and Lawrence Jacobs show that conservative efforts to expand markets and shrink government often have the ironic effect of expanding government’s reach by creating problems that force legislators to enact new rules and regulations. Dismantling the flawed reasoning behind these attempts to cast markets and public power in opposing roles, The Private Abuse of the Public Interest urges citizens and policy makers to recognize that properly functioning markets presuppose the government’s ability to create, sustain, and repair them over time. The authors support their pragmatic approach with evidence drawn from in-depth analyses of education, transportation, and health care policies. In each policy area, initiatives such as school choice, deregulation of airlines and other carriers, and the promotion of managed care have introduced or enlarged the role of market forces with the aim of eliminating bureaucratic inefficiency. But in each case, the authors show, reality proved to be much more complex than market models predicted. This complexity has resulted in a political cycle—strikingly consistent across policy spheres—that culminates in public interventions to sustain markets while protecting citizens from their undesirable effects. Situating these case studies in the context of more than two hundred years of debate about the role of markets in society, Brown and Jacobs call for a renewed focus on public-private partnerships that recognize and respect each sector’s vital—and fundamentally complementary—role.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

162

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226076458

ISBN 13

9780226076454

Politicians Don't Pander

Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs,Robert Y. Shapiro

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Politicians Don't Pander

Political Manipulation and the Loss of Democratic Responsiveness

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs,Robert Y. Shapiro

Public opinion polls are everywhere. Journalists report their results without hesitation, and political activists of all kinds spend millions of dollars on them, fueling the widespread assumption that elected officials "pander" to public opinion—that they tailor their policy decisions to the results of polls. In this provocative and engagingly written book, the authors argue that the reality is quite the opposite. In fact, when not facing election, contemporary presidents and members of Congress routinely ignore the public's policy preferences and follow their own political philosophies, as well as those of their party's activists, their contributors, and their interest group allies. Politicians devote substantial time, effort, and money to tracking public opinion, not for the purposes of policymaking, but to change public opinion—to determine how to craft their public statements and actions to win support for the policies they and their supporters want. Taking two recent, dramatic episodes—President Clinton's failed health care reform campaign, and Newt Gingrich's "Contract with America"—as examples, the authors show how both used public opinion research and the media to change the public's mind. Such orchestrated displays help explain the media's preoccupation with political conflict and strategy and, the authors argue, have propelled levels of public distrust and fear of government to record highs. Revisiting the fundamental premises of representative democracy, this accessible book asks us to reexamine whether our government really responds to the broad public or to the narrower interests and values of certain groups. And with the 2000 campaign season heating up, Politicians Don't Pander could not be more timely. "'Polling has turned leaders into followers,' laments columnist Marueen Dowd of The New York Times. Well, that's news definitely not fit to print say two academics who have examined the polls and the legislative records of recent presidents to see just how responsive chief executives are to the polls. Their conclusion: not much. . . . In fact, their review and analyses found that public opinion polls on policy appear to have increasingly less, not more, influence on government policies."—Richard Morin, The Washington Post

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

456

Publisher

University of Chicago Press

Published Date

ISBN 10

0226389820

ISBN 13

9780226389820

Health Care Reform and American Politics : What Everyone Needs to Know

What Everyone Needs to Know

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs Professor of Political Science University of Minnesota,Theda Skocpol Professor of Government and Sociology Harvard University

Write a review Read reviews Take a Quiz Solve Book Puzzle

Health Care Reform and American Politics : What Everyone Needs to Know

What Everyone Needs to Know

By: Lawrence R. Jacobs Professor of Political Science University of Minnesota,Theda Skocpol Professor of Government and Sociology Harvard University

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act signed by President Obama in March 2010 is a landmark in U.S. social legislation. The new law extends health insurance to nearly all Americans, fulfilling a century-long quest and bringing the United States to parity with other industrial nations. Affordable Care aims to control rapidly rising health care costs and promises to make the United States more equal, reversing four decades of rising disparities between the very rich and everyone else. Millions of people of modest means will gain new benefits and protections from insurance company abuses - and the tab will be paid by privileged corporations and the very rich. How did such a bold reform effort pass in a polity wracked by partisan divisions and intense lobbying by special interests? What does Affordable Care mean - and what comes next? In Health Care Reform and American Politics: What Everyone Needs to Know, Lawrence R. Jacobs and Theda Skocpol--two of the nation's leading experts on politics and health care policy--provide a concise and accessible overview. They explain the political battles of 2009 and 2010, highlighting White House strategies, the deals Democrats cut with interest groups, and the impact of agitation by Tea Partiers and progressives. Jacobs and Skocpol spell out what the new law can do for everyday Americans, what it will cost, and who will pay. Above all, they explain what comes next, as critical yet often behind-the-scenes battles rage over implementing reform nationally and in the fifty states. Affordable Care might end up being weakened. But, like Social Security and Medicare, it could also gain strength and popularity as the majority of Americans learn what it can do for them.

Average ratings

N/A

Write a review

Solve jigsaw puzzle

Age

Page Count

229

Publisher

Oxford University Press, USA

Published Date

ISBN 10

0199781427

ISBN 13

9780199781423

Book's by Lawrence R. Jacobs Professor of Political Science University of Minnesota

Politicians Don't Pander

Politicians Don't Pander

Class War?

Class War?

Who Governs?

Who Governs?

Presidential Power

Presidential Power

Talking Together

Talking Together

The Health of Nations

The Health of Nations

The Private Abuse of the Public Interest

The Private Abuse of the Public Interest

Politicians Don't Pander

Politicians Don't Pander

Health Care Reform and American Politics : What Everyone Needs to Know

Health Care Reform and American Politics : What Everyone Needs to Know

Username

Password

Username

Password

Password again

Birthday

Email