Understanding America : The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation

by Schuck, Peter H.

• ISBN13: 9781586485610
• ISBN10: 158648561X
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2008-04-07
• Publisher: Perseus Books Group

Summary

What is America? Is it a hegemonic superpower, composed of ruthlessly selfish capitalists? Or is it a land of hope and glory, a shelter for the huddled masses, and a beacon of freedom and enlightenment? The definition of this complex nation has been debated substantially, yet all seem to agree on one thing: it is unique. The idea of an exceptional America can be traced all the way back to Alexis de Tocqueville's nineteenth-century observations of a newly formed democracy that seemed determined to distinguish itself from the rest. Little, it seems, has changed.Building on de Tocqueville's concept of American exceptionalism, this collection of essays, contributed by some of the nation's top scholars and thinkers, takes on the weighty task of sizing up America in a way its people and others can comprehend. Far more than simple history, they outline the current state of American institutions and policiesfrom the legal system to marriage to the military to the Drug Warand anticipate where these are headed in the future.

Author Biography

Peter H. Schuck is the Simeon E. Baldwin Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He is the author of many books, including Targeting in Social Problems.
James Q.Wilson, a former president of the American Political Science Association, was for twenty-six years the Shattuck Professor of Government at Harvard and then for twelve years the Collins Professor of Management and Public Policy at UCLA.

Table of Contents

American Institutions and Culture
The Political System	p. 3
Bureaucracy	p. 27
The Legal System	p. 61
The Economic System	p. 87
Federalism	p. 121
Political Culture	p. 147
The Media	p. 181
Popular Culture	p. 219
The Military	p. 247
Religion	p. 275
American Public Policies
The Family	p. 309
Immigration	p. 341
Black Americans	p. 375
Education	p. 411
Health Care	p. 449
Criminal Justice	p. 475
Inequality, Economic Mobility, and Social Policy	p. 495
Philanthropy and the Non-Profit Sector	p. 539
Drug Policy	p. 563
A Larger Perspective
A Canvas, Not a Country: How Europe Sees America	p. 597
Looking Back	p. 627
Notes	p. 645
Contributors	p. 689
Index	p. 693
Table of Contents provided by Blackwell. All Rights Reserved.