Understanding America The Anatomy of an Exceptional Nation

by Schuck, Peter H; Wilson, James Q.

• ISBN13: 9781586486952
• ISBN10: 1586486950
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2009-04-07
• Publisher: PublicAffairs

Summary

The idea of an exceptional America remains controversial. In this dazzlingly comprehensive collection of essays, some of the nation's best scholars and thinkers take on the weighty task of sizing up Goliath in a way Americans and others can comprehend. These twenty studies in American exceptionalism provide a solidly researched and in-depth analysis on the current state of our institutions, our values, and our challenges for the future.

Author Biography

Peter H. Schuck is the Simeon E. Baldwin Professor of Law at Yale Law School. He is the author of several books.

James Q. Wilson, a former president of the American Political Science Association, and a former professor at Harvard and UCLA. He was decorated with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award.

Table of Contents

Preface	p. ix
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
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