American politics seems to grow more contentious and complicated by the day, and whether American democracy is effective is hotly debated. Amidst all of this roiling partisan discussion and confusing claims and counterclaims, there has never been a larger dependence on an impartial primer on the basics from the American political system.

This Very Short Introduction gives listeners a concise, accessible, and sophisticated summary of the vital components of American democracy, emphasizing both how these about American Politics: AN EXTREMELY Short Introduction elements function, their historical origins, and how they have evolved to their present forms. Richard Valelly covers all areas of America’s politics system: the bicameral Congress and the place from the filibuster, the legislative-executive process, the role from the Supreme Court, political parties and democratic choice, bureaucracy, the partisan revival, and the politics economy. He presents as well a genuine analysis from the evolution of the American presidency and a remarkable chapter on the effects of open public polling on political decision-making and voter representation. Valelly shows that the American politics system can be, and always has been, very much a function in progress-unfolding within, and in addition constantly updating, an eighteenth-century constitutional platform. In a refreshingly well balanced and judicious evaluation, he explores the talents of American democracy while candidly acknowledging both spaces in representation and the increasing income inequality have sparked protest and intense general public dialogue. Finally, Valelly considers the remarkable persistence, for more than two hundreds of years, of the essential constitutional forms founded in 1787, regardless of the dramatic sociable changes that have reshaped virtually all aspects of American life.

For anyone wishing to understand the nuts and bolts of how our political system works-and sometimes fails to work-this Very Short Introduction is the very best place to begin.