American Difference: American Politics from a Comparative Perspective

Americans strongly believe in the idea that our democracy is unique-is an exception, in fact, among other advanced industrialized democracies. But exactly how and why is our political system different? Poloni-Staudinger and Wolf start with the idea that each country's political priorities are influenced by the development of its political beliefs, political culture, and political institutions. They want to remind American students that our form of democracy is just one form of democracy. And if we examine components of our political system comparatively, we can better see and learn the ways in which our government is unique as well as see how other democracies function differently and successfully. This learning through contrast not only enriches students' understanding of their own political system, but this comparative context has become increasingly important as students see themselves as global citizens, competing and engaging in what is truly a globalized world and workforce. Unfortunately few American government texts offer much in the way of comparison to other countries and comparative politics books don't always situate the US in their analysis. This book fills that void with a crisply written and brief supplement.