This best-selling American government text is highly acclaimed for the non-ideological framework it uses to explore three themes: freedom, order, and equality as political values; the majoritarianism versus pluralism debate; and globalization’s effect on American politics. Using an easy to follow approach, with chapters and subheadings numbered and organized by learning outcomes, and a new end of chapter “Assessing Your Understanding” section where readers can test their knowledge, the twelfth edition provides a solution for teaching and assessing course learning outcomes. Extensively updated, this edition includes new examples, figures, data, and current discussions. The authors include balanced coverage of Obama’s historical presidency and coverage and analysis of the 2012 presidential primary campaign and election.