US Government and Politics

William Storey has been Principal Examiner for A2 US Government and Politics (Edexcel) for several years and, more recently, was Principal Examiner for A2 Key Issues in UK Politics (Edexcel). He provides consultancy to schools and colleges on teaching strategies and leads intensive revision courses. He is has written two revision guides on US Government & Politics and is a regular contributor to Politics Review, all published by Philip Allan.

• List of Boxes; List of Tables; Introduction; Part 1: The Framework of US Politics: 1 The Constitution - History and Key Features; Historical Background; The Constitutional Convention; Ratifying the Constitution; Key Features of the Constitution; Perspectives on the Constitution; 2 Federalism - Evaluating a key feature of the Constitution; The States at Independence from Britain; The Constitutional Convention: Debating Federalism; The Development of Federalism; Federalism in the Twenty-First Century; 3 Race & US Politics - Freedom and Opportunity for all?; The Constitution and Race; The Extent of Racial Inequality in the Twenty-First Century; The Causes of Racial Inequality; The Rise of Affirmative Action; Limitations on Affirmative Action; The Debate on Affirmative Action; Part 2: The Limits on Federal Power - Pluralism: 4 Elections; Historical Background; The Evolution of Democracy; The Electoral System at State and Local Level; The Electoral System: Congressional Elections; The Electoral Process: The Presidency; Concerns about the Electoral System: Campaign Finance; Concerns about the Electoral System: Incumbency Advantage; Concerns about the Electoral System: Voter Participation; Perspectives on the Electoral System; 5 Political Parties; The Role of Political Parties; The Development of the Main Political Parties; The Modern Republican Party; The Modern Democratic Party; Party Supporters; Minor Parties; Polarisation; 6 Pressure Groups; Pressure Groups and the Constitution; The Aims and Objectives of Pressure Groups; Access Points: Why, and How, They are Exploited; Assessing the Impact of Pressure Groups; Part 3: Testing the Limits of Federal Power - The Judiciary, The Legislature and The Executive: 7 The Supreme Court; The Role of the Judiciary; The Constitution and the Judiciary; Judicial Review; The Political Character of Judicial Review; Judicial Philosophies; Judicial Appointments; The Roberts Court (from 2005 to 2009); 8 Congress; Congress and the Constituti