AMERICAN POLITICS AND PUBLIC POLICY

Films. During the semester, we will screen and discuss films each Monday night. I expect every student to see each film. The names and dates of the films are listed in the syllabus.

Class Discussion. Class discussions will center on the readings and films. Many of these sessions will involve discussions about public policy issues. Students are encouraged to debate these and disagree ‑‑ but to do so based on information and evidence as well as their own values.

Writing. Each student will have a minimum of six writing assignments during the term ‑‑ four short essays (or other assignments) based on readings, a midterm exam, and a final exam. The schedule of writing assignments is on the last page of the syllabus. In grading your written work, I will look not only at the content, but also at the style. Be sure to proofread your papers before handing them in. Look for spelling, punctuation, and grammatical errors. Be clear and concise. Don't repeat yourself. Cite your sources. Make sure you understand the assignment. It helps to do an outline before you begin writing. Show it to your discussion section professor and discuss it with him/her before revising. Students are also urged to take advantage of the college's Center for Academic Excellence (ground floor of the library) to get help with their essays. Don't be hesitant. The Center staff is eager to assist you and can help you improve your writing significantly. For most essays and both exams the following eight criteria will be used:

1. Do you have a clear thesis? This should be a sentence or two early in your essay.

2. Have you employed appropriate concepts?

3. Have you presented persuasive evidence to support your thesis or arguments?

4. Have you made appropriate reference to the assigned readings?

5. Have you made a tie‑in to current events? Refer to items in the daily newspapers when appropriate.

6. Have you sought to find a creative twist ‑‑ a different viewpoint, a distinctive argument, unusual evidence?

7. Is your prose readable? Read your prose aloud to check on this.

8. Is your essay mechanically flawless? Typos, misspellings, and punctuation errors are inexcusable.

Newspapers Clippings

I encourage students in Politics 101 to get in the habit of reading a daily newspaper. The most useful papers are the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, the Christian Science Monitor, and the Wall Street Journal. You can get a subscription to any of these publications, buy some of them in the bookstore, or read them in the library. You can also subscribe to the Washington Post National Weekly, which includes the best articles from the previous week's Washington Post. You can subscribe via the web.

Our library also subscribes to many "opinion magazines." These are weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly publications that look at politics and policy from a particular perspective -- conservative, moderate, liberal, progressive, libertarian, religious, feminist, environmental, and others. Among the more interesting are the Nation, American Prospect, Weekly Standard, New Republic, In These Times, Commonweal, American Spectator, Washington Monthly, and National Review. Many of these magazines have on-line versions. One of the best sources of information about American politics is a weekly magazine called National Journal. It is available in the library. (You need a subscription to get it on-line, unfortunately).

In an effort to help students develop the newspaper habit (which includes articles, commentaries and editorials on government, politics and public policy), you are asked to submit at the beginning of each Thursday section meeting a timely item from a daily newspaper which is directly applicable to one of the issues addressed in the Politics 101 readings for that week. Each week, attach a few notes that explain why you have chosen this article -- how it is relevant for the topics covered in class that week. These notes must involve no more than 100 words.

A minimum of ten clippings is required during our 14 week semester, but it is strongly suggested that you submit one each Thursday. (No make‑ups will be permitted.) Make sure you put your name on the clipping and that the name and date of the newspaper is identified.

On Thursdays, I will ask at least one student (selected randomly) to present very briefly to the group his/her clipping and its significance. This presentation should be no more than two or three minutes describing how the article, editorial or opinion piece illustrates and/or amplifies some aspect of that week's topic.

A great source of information about political campaigns is FactCheck ( which examines whether what candidates and media are saying is accurate.

Profile of your state or Congressional district

One of the assignments for the course will be a political profile of your home Congressional district or your state (if there is a race for US Senate). You will be expected to become familiar with the candidates, their positions on key issues, their voting records (if they’ve held office before), the major interest groups, the campaign funding, the TV ads, and other aspects of the candidates and the campaigns. One place to start looking is the local news media, which you may be able to access on the web or through Lexis/Nexis on the Oxy library website. Another good source is the publication National Journal and its bi-annual Almanac of American Politics. Another good sources is Congressional Quarterly’s (CQ) American Politics. Another good source is Project Vote Smart which provides information about Congressional districts, and US Senate profiles.

Grades

Your grades will be based on four factors:

25% on attendance and participation in class sessions and films, and your performance on the weekly news clipping assignments.

25% on the four written assignments.

25% on a mid‑term examination.

25% on a final examination.

Required Books to Purchase

1. Bruce Miroff, Raymond Seidelman, and Todd Swanstrom, The Democratic Debate: An Introduction to American Politics, Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 4th Edition, 2007.

2. Jonathan Kozol, Savage Inequalities: Children in America's Schools, New York: Crown Publishers, 1991.

3. G. William Domhoff, Who Rules America? 5th Edition. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2006.

Helpful Materials on Library Reserve

I will place examples of very good writing assignments in a folder on reserve in the Library for those who are interested in seeing what constitutes good responses to the bi-weekly writing assignments. (The names of the student authors are removed but the instructor's comments on the essays do appear as well as the grade assigned.) It will be at the circulation desk.

Interesting Websites About American Politics

The internet has opened up a wide array of sources about American politics. There are thousands of websites on every conceivable topic. Fortunately, the University of Michigan has assembled the best of these resources and put them on its website. It includes such topics as upcoming elections at the federal, state, and local levels; biographies; campaign finances; political cartoons; members of Congress (including voting records); political consultants; a wide variety of domestic and foreign policy issues; lobby groups; news sources and periodicals; political advertising; political parties; the Presidency; public opinion; think tanks; and advocacy groups. I encourage you to browse this website at:

Extra Credit for Political Participation

I encourage students in Politics 101 not only to vote but also to participate directly in the political process and to stay abreast of the campaigns and issues through the news media.

Some students may wish to take advantage of Occidental's location in a very active and interesting political environment. Not all students in Politics 101 will have the time, motivation or mobility needed to participate in this optional feature of the course. But, as an incentive for those who wish to do so, we will give students extra credit for participating in a political campaign or working in a political office. Student who complete this assignment will increase their final grade by a third of a grade – in other words, from a C to a C+, or from an A- to an A.

There are nine weeks between the beginning of the semester and election day -- Tuesday, November 7. I will give extra credit to students who spend a minimum of 20 hours volunteering in one of the current campaigns. Here are the choices:

There are currently campaigns for all 435 Congressional seats up in November. All statewide offices in California (governor, lt. governor, secretary of state, attorney general, treasurer, controller, and insurance commissioner) are up for election, too.

You can work for campaigns of candidates representing the Republican, Democratic, Libertarian, Green, or other parties. You can call the party headquarters in Los Angeles, or in adjacent Pasadena, to find out about candidate races or to volunteer at the party headquarters office.

There are also 13 propositions on the California ballot, giving voters an opportunity to make public policy on a variety of issues, including funding for public education (K through university), public transportation and roads, housing, infrastructure and flood control, water quality and conservation; parental notification for abortion; an increase in the cigarette tax to fund health programs; reform of campaign finance laws; a tax on the oil industry to fund alternative energy; increasing the punishment for sex crimes; and limits on government’s use of “eminent domain.”

The California Secretary of State’s office and the nonpartisan League of Women Voters have websites describing these ballot propositions and summarizing the arguments for and against them as well as information on the candidate campaigns. You can contact the organizations running campaigns for and against each proposition and volunteer, although not all have offices nearby Oxy.

Volunteers who show enthusiasm and take initiative often stand out and are noticed by campaign staff and candidates. Over the years, a number of Oxy students who have volunteered in campaigns have been offered jobs with the candidates after they are elected. (Of course, this meant they worked for the winner!)

To document your participation, write a three page report describing what you did and summarizing the insights and understanding you gained from this participation. Explain what your responsibilities were. Discuss how this experience supplemented what you learned in Politics 101. Did it reinforce what you learned? Did it challenge what you learned? Include the name and phone number of someone on the campaign staff or volunteer coordinator who can verify your participation.

How do you go about volunteering? First, you have to select a campaign to work for. You can decide on the basis of the candidate or on the basis of the political party, or on the basis of a particular issue (for example, does this candidate support your views about abortion, or gun control, or funding for public education).

Once you’ve decided which campaign or office you want to work for, call the office, offer your time and enthusiasm. Be sure to tell them how much time you have available and what days are best for you. (A lot of campaign work occurs on weekends and a nights).

What will you do? Volunteers perform a variety of tasks. They make phone calls. They do office work. They attend rallies and candidates forums. They answer the phone. They distribute literature at shopping malls and door-to-door. The accompany the candidate to events. You’ll need to get to and from the campaign on your own. Some campaign offices are accessible by bus and a few (in Eagle Rock) by foot. By the way, no prior experience is required to do campaign volunteer work. Use the WWW to find out more information about these campaigns.

Speakers on Campus

There will be a number of speakers on campus this semester discussing topics related to this course. We will alert you to these events and strongly encourage you to attend.

Academic Honesty

You should be familiar with the college’s policies regarding academic honesty and plagiarism. I take these issues very seriously and so should you.

Students with Disabilities

Accommodation of disability-related needs is available. Please let me know if you need some kind of accommodation.

Registering to Vote

If you are 18 years old and a U.S. citizen, you are eligible to vote in the November elections. If you live outside California, or in California but far from home, you can register at home and vote by absentee ballot, but you have to request it. Regardless of where your parents live, you can register as a California resident, with your Oxy dorm as your home address. The Office of Student Life will have voter registration forms available. You can also get a California voter registration form on-line from the Cal. Secretary of State’s office: The registration deadline is 15 days prior to the election. Whether you are going to register in person or by mail, make sure register on time. There will be an official polling place on campus for the November election.

Topics and Reading Schedule

(LAT = Los Angeles Times; NYT = New York Times)

Part I: Democracy and Society

Week 1: The November 2006 Election - What’s At Stake?

Thursday, Aug. 31 – Intro to the course; discussion of upcoming elections

Tuesday, Sept. 5 – The rules of the game

*Dunham, et al., "Does Your Vote Matter?" (Business Week, June 14, 2004)

*Palast, "1 Million Black Votes Didn't Count..." (SF Chronicle, June 20, 2004)

*Hertsgaard, “Recounting Ohio” (Mother Jones, November 2005)

*Richie and Hill, “Outmoded Electoral College Betrays Democratic Process” (Pasadena Star-News, July 22, 2004)

*Geoghagan, “The Infernal Senate”(The New Republic,. Nov 21, 1994).

*Quinn, “Battleground Blues” (Atlanta Journal-Constitution, July 8, 2004)

*Dionne, "Third Parties in Second Place," (Washington Post Weekly, July 10, 2000)

*Clawson, Neustadtl and Weller, “Dollars and Votes” (1998, updated in 2005)

*Toobin, “Drawing the Line: Will Tom Delay’s Redistricting in Texas Cost Him His Seat?” (New Yorker, March 6, 2006)

*Caruso, “Immigrants’ Call to Action” (National Journal, June 17, 2006)

*Fitzgerald, “Holy Toledo: Ohio’s Gubernatorial Race Tests the Power of the Christian Right” (New Yorker, July 31, 2006)

Thursday, Sept. 7 – The candidates, the campaigns, the parties, and the issues

*Baumann, Victor and Cohen, “What If [the Democrats take back the House and/or

the Senate]?” (National Journal, January 28, 2006)

*”An Alternate Universe” (New York Times, August 25, 2006)

*Murray and Slevin, “Voter Anger Might Mean an Electoral Shift in ‘06" (Washington

Post, November 6, 2005)

*Brownstein, “‘06 Election Results May Point to Pivotal ‘08 States” (LAT, May 7, 2006)

*Hook, “GOP Seeks Few Safe House Seats” (LAT, August 2, 2006)

*Hulse, “GOP Agenda in House Has Moderates Unhappy” (NYT, July 8, 2006)

*Walter, “A Slight Edge for House GOP” (National Journal, July 29, 2006) - House

*Duffy, “The Democrats’ Tall Order” (National Journal, July 29, 2006) - Senate

*Murray, “Lamont Relied on Net Roots – and Grassroots” (Washington Post, August 9, 2006)

*Feldmann, “Shock Wave From Lieberman Race: Ned Lamont’s Victory Impacts

Both Parties...” (Christian Science Monitor, August 10, 2006)

*Rutenberg, “President Joins in GOP Attacks on Democrats About Terrorism”

(NYT, August 17, 2006)

*”The Lamont Democrats” (Wall Street Journal, August 10, 2006) - editorial

*Zernike, “Tight Race for Another Senator, This Time a Republican” (NYT, Aug. 13, 2006)

*Hulse, ”Leveled Colorado Playing Field Creates an Election Laboratory” (NYT, August 5, 2006)

* Barabak, “Iraq is Political Fault Line in Contested N.M. District” (LAT, May 14, 2006)

*Feldmann, “Democrats Seek Gains in Stem-Cell Issue” (Christian Science Monitor,

July 28, 2006)

*Egan, “‘06 Race Focuses on the Suburbs, Inner and Outer” (NYT, June 16, 2006)

*Dunham, “The GOP Homes in on the Suburbs” (Business Week, June 5, 2006)

*Duffy, ”Curtains for a GOP Majority?” (National Journal, July 29, 2006) - Governors

*Meyerson, “Phil and the Cavity” (LA Weekly, May 17, 2006) - CA Gov. race

*Stewart, “Terminator 2.0" (Wall Street Journal, June 8, 2006) - CA Gov. race

*Finnegan, “Hearing Rumbles from the Right” (LAT, August 18, 2006) - CA Gov race

*Salladay, “Angelides Pushes Tax, Fee Cut” (LAT, August 18, 2006) - CA Gov. race

Week 2: The Democratic Debate: Different Views About Democracy and Government

Monday, September 11 – Films: “Occupation” (44 min.) and “Never Say Die” (46 min.)

Tuesday, September 12 – Elite vs. popular democracy

Miroff, Seidelman, and Swanstrom, The Democratic Debate (MSS)

Chapter 1, "Introduction: The Democratic Debate"

Chapter 2, "The Revolution and the Constitution”

Declaration of Independence (MSS, Appendix)

James Madison, "Federalist No. 10" (Appendix, pp. A12-A16)

*Von Drehle, “Origins of the Species: Up from the ooze, into the mud -- a brief history of American political evolution” (Washington Post, July 25, 2004)

*Cong. Bernard Sanders, "Whither American Democracy?" (LAT, Jan. 16, 1994)

*Brooks, “How to Reinvent the GOP” (NYT Magazine, August 29, 2004)

*Herbert, “America in 2026" (NYT, June 22, 2006)

*Brownstein, "The Government Once Scorned, Becomes Savior" (LAT, Sept.19, 2001)

*Seib, "The Federal System: You Can Get Away from Washington‑‑But Not Government" (Wall Street Journal, June 21, 1995)

*Kettl, "Clueless in the Capital" (Washington Monthly, July/August 1999)

*Alperovitz, “Tax the Plutocrats” (The Nation, Jan. 27, 2003)

*Harris, "That Lethal L-Word" (Washington Post National Weekly, July 26-Aug. 1,

2004)

*Binder, Mann, Murphy and Sahre, “Where Do They Stand?” (NYT, July 26, 2004)

*“Bush and Kerry: Where They Stand” (National Journal, July 24, 2004)

Thursday, September 14 – The Democratic Debate in practice

*Young, "George Robert Twelves Hewes, A Patriot Shoemaker of Boston" (in The Way

We Lived)

*Zinn, "Young Ladies Who Can Picket" (from Zinn, You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train)

*Dreier and Appelbaum, “Campus Breakthrough on Sweatshop Labor” (Nation, June 1, 2006)

Thursday, Sept. 21 – Serve and Protect

Provide Public Services

*Gosselin, “The 90s: Private Boom Stingy on Public Good” (LAT, Aug. 5, 2001)

*Isaacs and Schroeder, “Where the Public Good Prevailed” (American Prospect, June 4, 2001)

*Cimons, "Fluoridation: A Shining Public Health Success" (LAT, Jan. 26, 1995)

*Toner, "Political Battle Lines Are Clearly Drawn in Fight Over Medicare Drug Coverage" (NYT, July 24, 2000)

*Gladwell, “The Moral Hazard Myth: Why Our Health Care System Doesn’t Work” (New Yorker, August 29, 2005)

Protect Americans from Physical Harm

MSS: Chapter 18, “Post-Cold War Foreign Policy” and “US Foreign Policy After September 11" (read pages 566-575 only)

*Judis, “Imperial Amnesia” (Foreign Policy, July/August 2004)

*King, "Is Congress Giving Too Much Surveillance Power...? Yes" (Insight, Jan. 14,

2002)

*Smith, "Is Congress Giving Too Much Surveillance Power...? No" (Insight, Jan.. 14,

2002)

*”Limiting Civil Liberties” (LAT, March 10, 2002)

*Huq, “Flying While Muslim” (TomPaine.Com, August 17, 2006)

*Bixler, "Immigrants' Rights at Risk?" (Atlanta Journal Constitution, Feb. 27, 2002)

*Dreier and Reiman, "Prisoners of Misleading Facts" (Dissent, Spring 1996)

*Fortunato, “Corporate Crime and Voting Rights” (Dissent, Summer 2002)

*Herbert, “Who Gets The Death Penalty?” (NYT, May 13, 2002)

*Perry, Pfeifer & Oldham, “San Diego Was In No Shape for This Fight” (LAT, Oct. 31, 2003)

Part II: Democracy, Social Class, and Social Justice

Week 4 Is America a “Class” Society?

Monday, September 25 – Film: “The Corporation” (two hours) or “Wal-Mart” (97 min.)

Tuesday, September 26 – Wealth and Power

MSS: Chapter 3, "The American Political Economy"

Domhoff, Who Rules America? (Chapter 1, “Class and Power in America”; Chapter 2,

“The Corporate Community”; and Chapter 3, “The Corporate Community and the

Upper Class”)

*Cohen, “Line Up” (NY Times Magazine, July 24, 2005)

*Barnet, “Lords of the Global Economy” (The Nation, Dec. 19, 1994)

*Hofmeister, “Idaho Town Has Much Invested in Elite Retreat” (LATimes, July 11,

2003)

*Bernstein, "All's Not Fair in Labor Wars" (Business Week, July 19, 1999)

*Gosselin, “Middle, Lower Classes Feel Pinch” (LA Times, Sept. 27, 2003)

*Kristof, “CEOs Getting Handed A Bigger Slice of the Pie” (LA Times, May 30, 2006)

*Peterson, “Exec Pay Is Focus of Public Attention” (LA Times, May 15, 2006)

*Johnston, “Tax Benefits To the Rich and Patient” (NY Times, May 11, 2006)

*Johnston, “IRS Will Cut Tax Lawyers Who Audit the Richest” (NY Times, July 23, 2006)

Thursday, September 28 – The Privileged Position of Business

*Brinkley, "Out of Spotlight, Bush Overhauls U.S. Regulations" (NY Times, Aug. 14,

2004)

*Birnbaum, “Where America Shops: Wal-Mart” (America@Work, April 2001)

*Greenhouse, “How Costco Became the Anti-Wal-Mart” (NY Times, July 15, 2005)

*Nagourney and Barbaro, “Eye on Election, Democrats Run as Wal-Mart Foe” (NYT, August 17, 2006)

*Silverstein, "Millions for Viagra, Pennies for Diseases of the Poor" (Nation, July 19, 1999)

*Kuttner, “Double Standard” (American Prospect, June 31, 2003)

*Noonan, “Capitalism Betrayed” (Wall Street Journal, June 28, 2002)

*Huffington, “Capitalism Without Conscience” (syndicated column, July 22, 2002)

*Grimaldi and Edsall, “An Industry Gets Its Way” (Washington Post National Weekly, May 31-June 6, 2004)

*Phillips, “The Company Presidency” (LA Times, Feb. 10, 2002)

*Hertzberg, “Abramoffed” (The New Yorker, January 9, 2006)

Week 5: How Much Inequality and Poverty is OK?

Monday, October 2 – Film: “Promises to Keep” (55 min.) and “Waging a Living” (80 min.)

Tuesday, October 3: The Economy and Inequality

MSS: Chapter 17, “Economic and Social Policy”

*Krugman, “For Richer” (NY Times Magazine, October 20 2002)

*Johnston, “Very Richest’s Share of Wealth Grew Even Bigger, Data Show” (NY Times

June 26, 2003)

*Wolff, "The Rich Get Richer...And Why the Poor Don't" (American Prospect, Feb. 12,

2001)

*Cooper, “The Two Worlds of Los Angeles” (The Nation, August 21/28, 2000)

*Samuelson, "Indifferent to Inequality?" (Newsweek, May 7, 2001)

*Cassidy, “Relatively Deprived” (New Yorker, April 3, 2006)

*Erik Eckholm, “America’s Near-Poor Are Increasingly at Economic Risk, Experts Say” (NY Times, May 8, 2006)

*Gosselin, “Poor and Uninsured Americans Increase for Third Straight Year” (LA Times, August 27, 2004)

*Madrick, “Economic Scene: Living in Poverty” (NY Times, June 13, 2002)

*Andrews, "Report Finds Tax Cuts Heavily Favor the Wealthy" (NY Times, Aug. 13,

2004)

*Groves, “Sidewalks Smooth for Well-Heeled” (LA Times, July 30, 2006)

Thursday, October 5 -- Poverty, Work, and Welfare

* Conlin and Bernstein, “Working and Poor” (Business Week, May 31, 2004)

* Mohan, "Though Far from Poor, A Family Struggles Daily" (LA Times, May 18, 2004)

*DePalma, “New York’s Pain, Reflected on a City Block” (NY Times, June 2, 2003)

*Rivera, “Getting By Gets More Costly for Families” (LA Times, Sept. 24, 2001)

*Ehrenreich, “America’s Torrent of Need” (LA Times, Aug. 5, 2001)

*Maldonado, “It’s the minimum lawmakers can do...” (LA Times, April 11, 2006)

*Tom McClintock, “...It’s a major mistake” (LA Times, April 11, 2006)

*Atlas, Candaele, and Dreier, “Florida Gets It Right” (Commonweal, June 3, 2005)

*Dukakis and Mitchell, “Raise Wages, Not Walls” (NY Times, July 25, 2006)

*Teepen, “Minimum wage verdict upholds gap between rich, poor” (Pasadena

Star-News, August 10, 2006)

*Krauthammer, "Pull the Plug on Welfare to Solve Poverty" (LA Times, Nov. 21, 1993)

*”Five Media Myths About Welfare” (Extra, May/June 1995)

*Edelman, “The True Purpose of Welfare Reform” (NY Times, May 29, 2002)

*"5 Years After Welfare Reform, Success Stuns Even Critics" (USA Today editorial,

August 20, 2001

*Rodgers, "Target Poverty, Not Welfare" (USA Today, August 20, 2001)

Week 6: Education and Opportunity

Monday, October 9 – Film: “Children in America’s Schools” (120 min.)

Tuesday, October 10 –The Realities of Our Public Education System

Kozol, Savage Inequalities (Introduction and Chapters 1-4)

Thursday, October 12 -- Does Education Reduce or Widen Inequality and Opportunity?

*Harris, “State’s Separate Systems for Rich and Poor” (LA Times, May 19, 2002)

*Levine, "Schools: Standards Are Important, But Money is Vital" (LA Times, May 21, 2000)

*Helfand, “Teacher Shortage Hitting Inner Cities Hardest, Study Says” (NY Times, Dec.

8, 2000)

*Anderson, "Smaller Classes Aid Test Scores, Results Show" (LA Times, Dec. 29, 1998)

*Symonds, “Closing the School Gap” (Business Week, Oct. 14, 2002)

* Tyson, “Needed: Affirmative Action for the Poor” (Business Week, July 7, 2003)

*Halstead and Lind, “The National Debate Over School Funding Needs a Federal Focus”

(LA Times, Oct. 8, 2000)

*Reich, “How Selective Colleges Heighten Inequality” (Chronicle of Higher Education,

Sept. 15, 2000)

*Burd, "In Some Federal Aid Programs, Not all Campuses Are Treated Alike" (Chronicle of Higher Education, June 16, 2000)

*Dreier, “Presidential Legacy” (American Prospect, January 27, 2003)

*Table 4.3: Individualism in American Culture

*Table 1.1: Socioeconomic Status of Entering Classes (from Carnevale and Rose, Socioeconomic Status, Race/Ethnicity, and Selective College Admissions, The Century Foundation, 2003)

*Table 2-4: Percentage Enrolling in College, by Family Income and Year, 1970-2003

*Table 2-5: Probability of a College Degree by Family Income and Year, 1970-2003

Week 7: Is America Unique?

Monday, October 16 – No film (break)

Tuesday, October 17 – No class (break)

Thursday, October 19 – The U.S. in Comparative Perspective

*Kingdon, America the Unusual, 1999. (“Introduction” and “Public Policy”)

*”America: A Unique Outlook?” (American Enterprise, March/April 1990)

*Reynolds, “Social Citizenship: Lessons from Sweden” (from Reynolds, Taking the

High Road, 2002)

*Smeeding, “The Poverty Quagmire” (Washington Post, Dec. 21, 2003)

*Havemann, "Diagnosis: Healthier in Europe" (LA Times, Dec. 30, 1992)

*Kuttner, “Canadian Drugs Aren’t the Cure” (Boston Globe, Aug. 18, 2004)

*Dreier and Bernard, "Kinder, Gentler Canada" (American Prospect, Winter 1993)

*Greenhouse, "If the French Can Do It, Why Can't We?" (NY Times Magazine, Nov. 14, 1993)

*Williams, “So, This is Heaven: Norway” (LA Times, Nov. 8, 2001)

*Wilgoren, “Education Study Finds U.S. Falling Short” (NY Times, June 13, 2001)

*Gornick and Meyers, “Support for Working Families: What the U.S. Can Learn From Europe” (American Prospect, January 1-15, 2001)

*Pine, "Are Americans Overtaxed?" (LA Times, April 30, 1998)

Part III: Democracy, Political Participation, and Political Institutions