California Politics and Government: A Practical Approach
by on June 18, 2009
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| California Politics and Government: A Practical Approach |
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| Manufacturer: Wadsworth Publishing |
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| List Price: $54.95 |
| Sale Price: $41.51 |
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Product Description |
| Clear, concise, and straightforward, CALIFORNIA POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT: A PRACTICAL APPROACH, 10E, takes a unique nuts-and-bolts approach to give you insight into real-life politics. The authors use current examples and vivid explanations to decode the complexities of California politics, helping you understand how state government really works and what it means to you. Thoroughly updated, the new edition illustrates how key economic, social, education, and immigration issues impact California politics. The text includes new court cases on emotionally charged topics such as gay marriage, updates on the ongoing budget crisis, coverage of the 2008 elections, changes in government regulations, and more. The text also shows you how policy is made. In addition, public policy coverage is thoroughly integrated throughout the text so you can see firsthand how legislation and other government activities affect your world--now and in the future. |
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Customer Reviews |
 Practical and Enjoyable |
| Review Date: May 7, 2002 |
| Reviewer: unraveler, Nevada |
| I've got the latest, sixth edition of this book, and I am very impressed. Relevant, well-organized, and very-well written, this book is a firt-rate primer for those interested in California politics. The book is written in the style I appreciate the most: to the point and matter-of-fact, without needless theorizing and editorializing. This is not an ordinary textbook. It is not boring or pedantic. Gerston and Christensen present a fascinating panorama of California politics. The book has ten chapters, each of which contains valuable insights and interesting details. The authors completely succeeded in presenting factual information, including tables and graphs, in a way that does not overwhelm the reader or make him want to skip over these things. This masterful integration of factual information into the flow of the narrative makes the book truly enjoyable. I have a Ph.D. in Political Science; and I rely on information from this book when I get ready to lecture on California politics in my American Government and Politics course in the college I teach. I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to get acquainted with California politics. And even advanced students of the subject, will find the up-to-date information in this book a valuable tool for understanding California's politics and society. Pick up this awesome resource today. |
Alright
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| Review Date: July 30, 2010 |
| Reviewer: Dresdenfan, |
| I have no complaints over the book. I did not use it very much but was helpful when I did. |
A useful, concise summary of California government
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| Review Date: May 5, 2009 |
| Reviewer: Richard Gibson, Woodland Hills, CA |
Plainly intended as a college textbook, this little (141 page) book provides a quick summary and overview of all major aspects of California government. It has ten chapters, which rapidly cover such major areas as demographics, the size of the various ethnic groups, the structure of the political parties, the structure of the State and local governments, the Executive branch and the Legislature.
All in all, it is is a very useful summary. It answers such questions as does the governor of California have a line item veto (yes, in spending matters), what are the biggest components of state spending (education number 1 and health and welfare number 2) and what exactly do the cities and counties do and how are they funded?
It is not an engaging book or a good read. There is no story line. The authors make up for this, however, with their extreme brevity. They give the basic facts, and then move on. |
What a mess
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| Review Date: October 2, 2004 |
| Reviewer: High Spirits, San Diego CA |
This book will never stand on its own. It attempts to introduce far too many ideas in too few pages. It's a lot like Cliffnotes. Used alone, the reader will be left with a skeleton of concepts and ideas...
The book is a muddied introduction to the organization, history, and sociology of the state. Ideas are dumped, not explained. Half of the names appear in only one sentence. It left me unable to remember or care about some of the 50+ names. Sections are seldom coherent.
I ended up using the TOC to draw up my own organized outline. I filled in the pertinent details using wikipedia and ca.gov. And I paid attention to the newspaper. It worked much better.
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Satisfied
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| Review Date: July 25, 2008 |
| Reviewer: SPEDucator, Bakersfield, CA USA |
| The book was in good condition and was received in less than a week. For price and shipping time I would recommend. |
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Tagged as:
Approach,
California,
Government,
Politics,
Practical
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