Acclaimed for the scholarship of its prominent authors and the clarity of its narrative, AMERICAN GOVERNMENT: THE ESSENTIALS preserves the structure of the main text without the domestic and foreign policy chapters while maintaining focus on three fundamental topics: the importance of institutions of American government; the historical development of governmental procedures, actors, and policies; and who governs in the United States and to what ends. The policymaking process and politics of policy are discussed in Chapter 1, and new Policy Dynamics: Inside/Outside the Box features integrate policy coverage throughout the text without the extra length. Reader involvement in the material is bolstered by proven pedagogical features such as learning objectives framing each chapter, Constitutional Connections relating current issues to founding principles, and How Things Work boxes that illustrate important concepts. A state-of-the-art media package with online tools makes the learning experience engaging and accessible.