Polsby N.W., Wildavsky А., Schier S.E., Hopkins D.A. Presidential Elections: Strategies and Structures of American Politics

13rd Edition - Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2011. - 352 pagesISBN10: 0742564231The thirteenth edition of Presidential Elections continues to be an accessible, comprehensive 'must read' on the U.S. presidency. It is factually packed and provides a stimulating assessment of the American democratic system.
Brimming with data and examples from the historic 2008 election, and laced with previews of 2012, the thirteenth edition of this classic text offers a complete overview of the presidential election process from the earliest straw polls and fundraisers to final voter turnout and exit interviews. The newest edition's comprehensive coverage includes campaign strategy with overviews of the changes in campaign finance and the growing role of the Internet.Also, the thirteenth edition explores the effect of the forward-creeping presidential nomination process and the sequence of electoral events. All of these aspects and the issues themselves are discussed by a wide array of actors in the electoral process: voters, interest groups, political parties, the media, and the candidates themselves. In the final pages, the authors take a broader view of the American political system and ongoing pressure to reform its institutions in order to address perceived imperfections in the electoral process. The thirteenth edition is a timely update to this essential text on American elections.Nelson W. Polsby is the Heller Professor of Political Science and past director of the Institute of Governmental Studies at UC-Berkeley. He is vice president of the Political Studies Association of the UK, a member of the Academic Advisory Board of AEI, and a former Brookings and Guggenheim Fellow. He is editor of the Annual Review of Political Science. His books include How Congress Evolves (2003); New Federalist Papers (with Alan Brinkley and Kathleen M. Sullivan, 1997); Media and Momentum(editor with Gary R. Orren, 1987); Congress and the Presidency (1986); and Consequences of Party Reform (1983). He died in 2007.Aaron Wildavsky was, at the time of his death, Class of 1940 Professor of Political Science and Public Policy at UC-Berkeley, and founding dean of Berkeley's Graduate School of Public Policy.He died in 1994.Steven E. Schier is Dorothy H. and Edward C. Congdon Professor of Political Science at Carleton College. He is the author or editor of eleven books and numerous scholarly and media articles.
David A. Hopkins (PhD, Berkeley) is assistant professor of political science at Boston College.