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PerseusWizardry  10mo ago (text post)   793 thread views

What are the best textbooks for understanding American politics/contemporary public issues?

I am embarking on a self-study of American politics in the hopes of becoming generally fluent and comfortable understanding the issues of our day. That said, I don't want to study at such a narrow level (i.e. the news cycle) that what I learn will stop being relevant in two weeks. I have a sense of which general areas I should study, but not which textbooks are ideal. I am open to suggestions! (My background: I just have a BA in philosophy and a BA in psych.)

I assume I should probably read a textbook on:

  1. Economics

  2. The American Public Policy Process

  3. American History

  4. World History, esp Modern Europe and the Americas since 1800

  5. Comparative Politics/History of Major Political Ideas?/Explanation of major ideologies?

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I don’t see a reason to read any (4) for this project. Europe and America are cousins but since 1800 I’d say we have been mostly on our own path.

(1) I’d probably read some Milton Friedman. I think he’s the best of those who built the underpinnings of Reaganism and early neoliberalism which Clinton adopted. I think modern neoliberalism only has small bits of that still.

I think Tocqueville still has some insights into the American project.

Personally I consider your request especially broad. And you need to read a few hundred books to know all that is going on.

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