American Government and Politics is a completely new introductory textbook designed and written for all students of politics coming to the subject for the first time. It provides a lively and accessible introduction and guide to all the main features and characteristics of one of the most distinctive and complex contemporary political systems in the world.

From the impeachment of Bill Clinton, to the controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election, and the Bush administration's responses to September 11, students will gain a balanced and critical understanding of all the key issues and debates in contemporary American government and politics today.

A number of key underlying themes include:

- the nature of American values and identity

- the influence of the constitution on political development

- the ways in which key governing institutions function to produce domestic and foreign policy.

Key features include:

- comprehensive glossary of key terms

- discussion and summary boxes

- web links and guides to further reading

Robert Singh is a lecturer in politics at Birkbeck College, London.

American Government and Politics: A Concise Introduction is the foundation companion text to Contemporary American Politics: Issues and Controversies also published by SAGE.

`Rob Singh has written a finely organized and informative textbook that combines to an unusually high degree analytical clarity, accessibility of style and form, and an enlightened scepticism about received wisdom. This is an admirable book' - Nigel Bowles, St Anne's College, Oxford

`Full of topical information and written with sparkling clarity, this book is a short-cut to excellence for the discriminating student' - Rhodri Jeffreys-Jones, Professor of American History, University of Edinburgh

`In American Government and Politics Robert Singh provides an excellent introduction to the subject. His approach is wide ranging, his examples well selected and his style is accessible. It will make an ideal book for introductory and more advanced university courses on US government. I strongly recommend the book to teachers and students' - Desmond King, Mellon Professor of American Government, University of Oxford

`This is a well written and lively book that is an important addition to the ranks of textbooks on American politics. One of its many virtues is its recognition that the textbook today is useful to a student only if it links to the world of web-based resources. Highly recommended' - Alan Ware, Worcester College, Oxford