Table Of ContentAnalyzing Politics
The Five Principles of Politics will help you make sense of the complexity of the
political world, identify political patterns, and understand political outcomes.
THE RATIONALITY PRINCIPLE
People do what they do politically to achieve
purposes—personal, social, philosophical.
THE INSTITUTION PRINCIPLE
The rules we use to make decisions influence
the outcomes.
THE COLLECTIVE ACTION PRINCIPLE
Politics involves many people who compete,
bargain, and cooperate.
THE POLICY PRINCIPLE
Policies are the result of individual goals,
institutional rules, and collective action.
THE HISTORY PRINCIPLE
Decisions and actions in the past affect
political choices and outcomes today.
FOURTEENTH EDITION
iii
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Lowi, Theodore J., author. | Ginsberg, Benjamin, author. | Shepsle,
Kenneth A., author. | Ansolabehere, Stephen, author.
American government : power & purpose / Theodore J. Lowi, Cornell
University, Benjamin Ginsberg, The Johns Hopkins University, Kenneth A.
Shepsle, Harvard University, Stephen Ansolabehere, Harvard University.
Fourteenth Edition. | New York : W.W. Norton & Company, [2017] |
Includes bibliographical references and index.
LCCN 2016055795 | ISBN 9780393283754 (hardcover)
LCSH: United States—Politics and government.
LCC JK276 .L69 2017 | DDC 320.473—dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.
gov/2016055795
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For Our Families
Angele, Anna, and Jason Lowi
Sandy, Cindy, and Alex Ginsberg
Rise, Nilsa, and Seth Shepsle
Laurie Gould and Rebecca and
Julia Ansolabehere
Contents
PREFACE xxiii
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS xxvi
PART 1 FOUNDATIONS
1
Five Principles of Politics 2
Making Sense of Government and Politics 4
What Is Government? 5
Forms of Government 5
Politics 6
Five Principles of Politics 6
The Rationality Principle: All Political
Behavior Has a Purpose 7
The Institution Principle: Institutions Structure Politics 9
The Collective Action Principle: All Politics Is
Collective Action 12
The Policy Principle: Political Outcomes
Are the Products of Individual Preferences
and Institutional Procedures 18
The History Principle: How We Got Here Matters 19
vi Contents
Conclusion: Preparing to Analyze the American
Political System 21
For Further Reading 22
ANALYZING THE EVIDENCE
How Do Political Scientists Know What They Know? 24
Constructing a Government:
2
The Founding and the Constitution 30
The First Founding: Interests and Conflicts 32
British Taxes and Colonial Interests 33
Political Strife and the Radicalizing of the Colonists 34
The Declaration of Independence 36
The Revolutionary War 36
The Articles of Confederation 37
The Second Founding: From Compromise to Constitution 38
International Standing, Economic Difficulties,
and Balance of Power 38
The Annapolis Convention 39
Shays’s Rebellion 39
The Constitutional Convention 40
TIMEPLOT
Representation in Congress: States’ Ranks 42
The Constitution 46
The Legislative Branch 47
THE POLICY PRINCIPLE
The Constitution and Policy Outcomes 48
The Executive Branch 50
The Judicial Branch 51
ANALYZING THE EVIDENCE
Constitutional Engineering: How Many Veto Gates? 52
National Unity and Power 54
Contents vii
Amending the Constitution 54
Ratifying the Constitution 55
Constitutional Limits on the National Government’s Power 55
The Fight for Ratification:
Federalists versus Antifederalists 57
Representation 59
The Threat of Tyranny 60
Governmental Power 61
Changing the Institutional Framework:
Constitutional Amendment 62
Amendments: Many Are Called, Few Are Chosen 62
The Twenty-Seven Amendments 64
Conclusion: Reflections on the Founding—Ideals or
Interests? 68
For Further Reading 70
3
Federalism and the Separation of Powers 72
Who Does What? Federalism and
Institutional Jurisdictions 74
Federalism in the Constitution: Who Decides What 75
THE POLICY PRINCIPLE
Federalism and Support for Corn Farmers 76
The Slow Growth of the National Government’s Power 80
Cooperative Federalism and Grants-in-Aid: Institutions
Shape Policies 83
Regulated Federalism and National Standards 86
New Federalism and the National–State Tug-of-War 88
ANALYZING THE EVIDENCE
Health Care Policy and the States 90
The Separation of Powers 92
Checks and Balances: A System of Mutual Vetoes 93
viii Contents
