Discover what makes American democracy unique and how its government impacts your life
American Democracy in Context provides a combined comparative and historical approach to inspire students to better understand American government and become active citizens. Bestselling authors Maltese, Pika, and Shively explain the distinctive features of how Americans practice democracy--how they vote, translate election results into representation of interests, make policy decisions, enforce laws and maintain justice--and how those practices differ from other democracies throughout the world. The emphasis is always on the American political system, but the search for understanding encourages students to examine how the American system has developed over time (historical context) and how it compares with similar practices in other democracies (comparative context). This combined approach motivates students to understand why politics is relevant to their everyday lives and how they can affect changes and make a difference.
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John Anthony Maltese is the Albert B. Saye professor of political science and associate
dean of the University of Georgia's School of Public and International Affairs and was
named a University professor in 2023 in recognition of significant impact on the university
beyond normal academic responsibilities. He holds a PhD from Johns Hopkins
University. He is the author of The Selling of Supreme Court Nominees and Spin Control:
The White House Office of Communications and the Management of Presidential News,
and coauthor with Joseph A. Pika and H. Phillips Shively of American Democracy in
Context. He is a Josiah Meigs Distinguished Teaching Professor and was named the
2004 Georgia Professor of the Year by the Carnegie Foundation and the Council for
Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). Professor Maltese also writes about
classical music, for which he won a Grammy Award from the National Academy of
Recording Arts and Sciences.
Joseph A. Pika is the James R. Soles professor emeritus of political science and international
relations at the University of Delaware. He holds a PhD from the University
of Wisconsin and taught previously at SUNY at Buffalo. He is coauthor with Jason D.
Mycoff of Conflict & Compromise: Presidential and Congressional Leadership, 2001-
2006 and coauthor with John Anthony Maltese and H. Phillips Shively of American
Democracy in Context. He served for seven years on the Delaware State Board of
Education, four years as president.
W. Phillips Shively is professor emeritus of political science at the University of Minnesota and has also served on the faculties of Yale University, the University of Oregon, and Oslo University, Norway. He has served as editor of the American Journal of Political Science, as program chair for the national meetings of the American Political Science Association, and as principal investigator and chair of the Comparative Study of Electoral Systems project (CSES). At the University of Minnesota, he has been inducted into the Academy of Distinguished Teachers for his work with students. His research centers on the comparative study of elections and statistical methods of research. Besides political science, Professor Shively's other main loves are natural history and classical music.
