The Political Science Toolbox A Research Companion to American Government

by Frantzich, Stephen E.; Ernst, Howard R.

• ISBN13: 9780742547612
• ISBN10: 0742547612
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-08-07
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers

Summary

The Political Science Toolbox serves as a bridge between research methods classes and student research, making it a valuable supplement for an applied research methods class, as well as a useful supplement for introduction to American government courses or introduction to political science courses. Moreover, students completing honors papers, capstone assignments, or any substantial research projects in the field of American government will find the ideas and guidance provided in this work to be invaluable. Book jacket.

Author Biography

Stephen E. Frantzich is professor of political science at the U.S. Naval Academy Howard R. Ernst is associate professor of political science at the U.S. Naval Academy and senior scholar at University of Virginia's Center for Politics

Table of Contents

List of Skill Boxes	p. xv
Preface	p. xvii
Introduction: Thinking Like a Political Scientist	p. 1
The Science of Political Analysis	p. 1
What Makes Political Science a "Science"?	p. 2
Count It, Interpret It, and Feel It	p. 3
Thinking in Terms of Variables and Causal Relationships	p. 4
Standing on the Shoulders of Others: The Literature Review	p. 5
Thinking in Terms of Hypotheses	p. 6
Types of Academic Assignments	p. 7
Writing a Major Research Paper	p. 8
Making Use of Summary Tables	p. 11
Giving Credit Where Credit Is Due	p. 13
Types of Plagiarism	p. 14
The Case against Plagiarism	p. 14
Sources That Will Help You Understand the Research Process	p. 15
Resources for Citing Sources and Avoiding Plagiarism	p. 15
The Founding Era	p. 17
The Structure of the U.S. Constitution and the Intentions of the Founders	p. 17
The Basic Structure of the U.S. Constitution	p. 17
The Constitutional Amendment Process	p. 19
Composition of the National Government	p. 20
Key Governing Principles Embodied in the U.S. Constitution	p. 20
Basic Goals of the Constitution	p. 23
Key Constitutional Compromises	p. 24
Comparative Perspective	p. 26
Enduring Structural Questions and How to Research Them	p. 27
Idea Generator: A Sample of Structural Questions Related to the Constitution	p. 28
Participants	p. 32
Who Were the Framers of the U.S. Constitution?	p. 32
Comparative Perspective: Federalists versus Anti-Federalists	p. 34
The Federalist Papers	p. 35
Enduring Questions about the Framers and How to Research Them	p. 37
Idea Generator: A Sample of Additional Questions Related to the Framers	p. 38
Context and Performance	p. 44
Important Antecedents to the U.S. Constitution	p. 44
Historical Development of the Constitution	p. 49
Enduring Contextual Questions and How to Research Them	p. 50
Idea Generator: A Sample of Contextual Questions Related to the Constitution	p. 52
Secondary Sources That Will Help You Get Started	p. 54
Original Research That Will Impress Your Professor	p. 54
In Their Own Words: Primary Sources	p. 56
Where to Find It	p. 56
Congress	p. 59
The Structure and Intention of Congress	p. 59
Constitutional Basis	p. 60
Goals and Intentions	p. 60
Congress in Comparative Perspective	p. 65
Enduring Structural Questions and How to Research Them	p. 66
Idea Generator: Understanding Congress's Structure	p. 70
Participants in Congress	p. 72
Who Are the Participants and How Were They Elected?	p. 72
Congressional Demographics in Comparative Perspective	p. 74
Enduring Questions about Participants and How to Research Them	p. 74
Idea Generator: The Causes and Consequences of Congress's Demographic Mix	p. 79
Congressional Context and Performance	p. 80
Historical Development	p. 81
Public Support and Expectations-What Does the Public Want Congress to Do?	p. 81
Congress at Work	p. 83
Enduring Contextual and Performance Questions and How to Research Them	p. 84
Idea Generator: Congress at Work	p. 86
Major Data Sources on Congress	p. 86
Original Research That Will Impress Your Professor	p. 87
Where to Find It	p. 88
Taking Action-Contacting and Influencing Congress	p. 92
The Presidency and the Bureaucracy	p. 95
The Structure and Intention of the Presidency and the Bureaucracy	p. 95
Constitutional Basis and Extraconstitutional Roles	p. 95
Goals and Intentions	p. 97
Comparative Perspective: Presidents versus Prime Ministers	p. 98
Enduring Structural Questions and How to Research Them	p. 99
Idea Generator: Presidential Power and Roles	p. 105
Participants	p. 106
Who Are the Presidential and Bureaucratic Participants and Why Are They There?	p. 106
Comparative Perspective	p. 107
Enduring Questions about the Personnel of the Presidency and the Bureaucracy	p. 109
Idea Generator: Presidents and Bureaucrats?	p. 110
Context and Performance of the Presidency and the Bureaucracy	p. 112
Historical Development	p. 112
Public Support and Expectations	p. 112
The President and Bureaucracy at Work	p. 113
Enduring Questions about the Context and Performance of the Presidency and How to Research Them	p. 117
Idea Generator: Evaluating Presidential and Bureaucratic Performance	p. 123
Original Research That Will Impress Your Professor	p. 124
In Their Own Words: Primary Sources	p. 125
Where to Find It	p. 125
Taking Action-Contacting and Influencing the President and the Bureaucracy	p. 127
The Federal Judiciary	p. 129
The Structure and Function of the Federal Judiciary	p. 129
Constitutional Basis	p. 129
Goals and Intentions	p. 131
Comparative Perspective	p. 132
Enduring Structural Questions and How to Research Them	p. 132
Idea Generator: How the Courts Are Structured	p. 134
Participants in the Judicial Process	p. 135
Who Are the Participants and Why Are They There?	p. 135
Comparative Perspective	p. 137
Enduring Questions about the Participants and How to Research Them	p. 140
Idea Generator: Who Serves on the Courts and How Do They Get There?	p. 141
Context and Performance of the Courts	p. 142
Historical Development	p. 142
Public Support	p. 143
The Judiciary at Work	p. 144
Enduring Questions on the Context and Performance of the Courts and How to Research Them	p. 145
Idea Generator: Judging the Performance of Judges	p. 148
Original Research That Will Impress Your Professor	p. 149
Where to Find It	p. 149
Taking Action-Contacting and Influencing the Courts	p. 151
State and Local Government	p. 153
The Structure of American Federalism	p. 153
The Constitutional Relationship between State and Federal Governments	p. 153
The Relationship between State and Local Governments	p. 154
Types of State Governments	p. 155
Types of Local Governments	p. 158
American Federalism: Goals and Intentions of the Founders	p. 160
Comparative Perspective	p. 161
Enduring Structural and Institutional Questions and How to Research Them	p. 161
Idea Generator: Structural and Institutional Questions Related to Federalism	p. 163
Participants	p. 165
Governors	p. 165
Legislatures	p. 165
Judges	p. 165
Enduring Questions about the Participants	p. 169
Idea Generator: Additional Questions Related to State-Level Participants	p. 171
Context and Performance	p. 173
Historical Development of American Federalism	p. 173
The Historical Development of Home Rule	p. 176
The Decline of Political Machines and Party Bosses	p. 176
State and Local Governments at Work	p. 179
Enduring Contextual Questions and How to Research Them	p. 179
Idea Generator: A Sample of Additional Contextual Questions Related to State and Local Politics	p. 180
Secondary Sources That Will Help You Get Started	p. 183
Original Research That Will Impress Your Professor	p. 183
Where to Find It	p. 184
The Media	p. 187
The Structure and Function of the Media	p. 187
Constitutional and Legal Basis	p. 187
Goals and Intentions of the Media	p. 191
Comparative Perspective	p. 193
Enduring Structural Questions about the Media and How to Research Them	p. 193
Idea Generator: The Role of the Media in Society	p. 195
Participants	p. 197
The Media Players	p. 197
Enduring Questions about the Participants and How to Research Them	p. 199
Idea Generator: Who Are the Media Players?	p. 203
Context and Performance of the Media	p. 204
Historical Development	p. 204
Public Support and Expectations	p. 205
The Media at Work	p. 205
Enduring Questions on the Context and Performance of the Media and How to Research Them	p. 206
Idea Generator: How Well Does the Media Mediate?	p. 210
Secondary Sources That Will Help You Get You Started	p. 211
Original Research That Will Impress Your Professor	p. 211
Where to Find It	p. 211
Taking Action-Contacting and Influencing the Media	p. 214
Presenting Your Findings	p. 216
Political Parties and Interest Groups	p. 217
The Structure and Intention of Political Parties and Interest Groups	p. 217
Constitutional and Legal Basis	p. 217
Goals and Intentions	p. 220
Recent Changes in Campaign Laws That Influence Parties and Interest Groups	p. 222
Comparative Perspective	p. 223
Enduring Structural and Institutional Questions and How to Research Them	p. 225
Idea Generator: Structural Questions Related to Political Parties and Interest Groups	p. 227
Participants	p. 231
Who Are the Political Party and Interest Group Participants and Why Are They There?	p. 231
Comparative Perspective	p. 234
Enduring Questions about Political-Party and Interest-Group Participants and How to Research Them	p. 235
Idea Generator: Additional Questions Related to Political-Party and Interest-Group Participants	p. 237
Context and Performance	p. 242
Historical Development of Political Parties and Interest Groups	p. 242
Parties and Interest Groups at Work	p. 243
Red States versus Blue States Reconsidered	p. 247
Enduring Contextual Questions about Interest Groups and Political Parties and How to Research Them	p. 249
Idea Generator: Additional Contextual Questions Related to Interest Groups and Political Parties	p. 250
Secondary Sources That Will Help You Get Started	p. 253
Original Research That Will Impress Your Professor	p. 253
Where to Find It	p. 255
Elections and Voting Behavior	p. 259
The Structure and Intention of Elections	p. 259
Constitutional and Legal Basis	p. 259
Goals and Intentions	p. 261
Rules Governing the Funding of Political Campaigns	p. 262
Comparative Perspective	p. 264
Enduring Structural Questions and How to Research Them	p. 264
Idea Generator: A Sample of Additional Structural Questions Related to Elections	p. 267
Participants	p. 270
Who Are the Participants and Why Are They There?	p. 271
Comparative Perspective	p. 273
Enduring Questions about the Participants and How to Research Them	p. 274
Idea Generator: A Sample of Additional Questions Related to Electoral Participants	p. 276
Context and Performance	p. 280
Historical Development of Campaign Coverage and Polling	p. 280
Elections at Work: Contextual Factors That Matter	p. 283
Enduring Contextual Questions and How to Research Them	p. 286
Idea Generator: A Sample of Additional Contextual Questions Related to Elections	p. 288
Secondary Sources That Will Help You Get Started	p. 289
Original Research That Will Impress Your Professor	p. 289
Where to Find It	p. 290
Taking Action-Acting and Influencing	p. 291
Glossary	p. 293
Index	p. 311
About the Authors	p. 323
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.