Lurking in the back of the minds of many students of American government is the question, “How well does the American political system work?” This book examines this in a way that is broad in approach and accessible to readers. Such an ambitious examination of the effectiveness of the American policymaking system leads to one inescapable question: how can you measure “effectiveness?” The answer taken in this book is to employ a number of different criteria. These criteria include: •the public’s attitudes towards the institutions of government •the degree in which all participate equally in political activities •the level of which public policy is responsive to public opinion •the ability of the actors in the process to create effective public policy •the extent the political system imposes costs and benefits on us equally, regardless of our economic condition race, gender, or age In doing so, this book ties together and expands upon numerous scholarly studies conducted on American public policymaking and uses David Truman’s Systems Model as a conceptual guide. Because of the large amount of data presented, the book will also serve as a reference source for others conducting research on American public policy.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 , Public Policy-Making in America , Chapter 2 , A History of Policy-making in the U.S. , Chapter 3 , The Environment of Policymaking in the U.S. , Chapter 4 , Actors in the Policymaking System , Chapter 5 , Views of Government , Chapter 6 , Participation and Public Policy , Chapter 7 , Shaping Public Policy: The Unofficial Actors , Chapter 8 , Shaping the Response: Official Institutions , Chapter 9 , Policy Responsiveness , Chapter 10 , Economic Equality , Chapter 11 , Income Equality , Chapter 12 , Sex Equality , Chapter 13 , Age Equality , Chapter 14 , Conclusion ,