The Logic of American Politics

Rating:
Summary: 3 stars for effort, but not well-executed
Review: Kernell and Jacobson try to combine historical and rational-choice understandings of American government in this text, but not in a particularly successful manner. The issues of collective action and free rider problems are above the heads of most undergraduates, who care about what actually happens in politics, not what a game-theoretic model in a book thinks should happen.

The writing style is also very dense. It's not particularly engaging for the reader, and the occasional cutesy attempt to insert cartoons or other stylistic improvements falls flat. The history is very interesting to someone who cares, but doesn't show the average student why history is important, why it matters that they know it in order to properly understand American politics today.

For a slightly better take on an American government textbook with a historical focus, take a look at Landy and Milkis' new textbook.