What are the main foreign policy goals of the United States? How do the president and Congress interact in the foreign policy realm? In what different ways might foreign policy be pursued? This chapter will delve into these and other issues to present an overview U.S. foreign policy. Chapter 16 - Foreign Policy.  An audiobook production of American Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US government and civics, and is used widely in college-level Political Science courses. OpenStax textbooks and this podcast are offered under a Creative Commons li ..read more

What is public policy? How do different areas of policy differ, and what roles do policy analysts and advocates play? What programs does the national government currently provide? And how do budgetary policy and politics operate? This chapter answers these questions and more. Chapter 16 - Domestic Policy.  An audiobook production of American Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US government and civics, and is used widely in college-level Political Science courses. OpenStax textbooks and this podcast are offered under a Creative Commons license ..read more

How do the courts make decisions, and how do they exercise their power  to protect individual rights? How are the courts structured, and what  distinguishes the Supreme Court from all others? This chapter answers  these and other questions in delineating the power of the judiciary in  the United States. Chapter 13 - The Courts. An audiobook production of American Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US government and civics, and is used widely in college-level Political Science courses. OpenStax textbooks and this podcast are offere ..read more

What are the powers, opportunities, and limitations of the presidency?  How does the chief executive lead in our contemporary political system?  What guides the chief executive's actions, including unilateral actions?  If it is most effective to work with others to get things done, how does the president do so? What can get in the way of this goal? This chapter answers these and other questions about the nation’s most  visible leader. Chapter 12 -  The Presidency.  An audiobook production of American Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an i ..read more

How exactly does Capitol Hill operate?  What are the different structures and powers of the House of Representatives and the Senate? How are members of Congress elected? How do they reach their decisions about legislation, budgets, and military action? This chapter addresses these aspects and more as it explores “the first branch” of government. Chapter 11 -  Congress.  An audiobook production of American Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US government and civics, and is used widely in college-level Political Science courses. OpenStax ..read more

In this chapter, we answer several key questions about interest groups.  What are they, and why and how do they form? How do they provide avenues for political participation? Why are some groups advantaged by the lobbying of government representatives, while others are disadvantaged?  Finally, how do interest groups try to achieve their objectives, and how are they regulated? Chapter 10 -  Interest Groups and Lobbying.  An audiobook production of American Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US government and civics, and is used wid ..read more

This chapter will explore why the party system may be the most important component of any true democracy. What are political parties? Why do they form, and why has the United States typically had only two? Why have political parties become so highly structured? Finally, why does it seem that parties today are more polarized than they have been in the  past? Chapter 9 - Political Parties. An audiobook production of American Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US government and civics, and is used widely in college-level Political Science cour ..read more

What does it mean to have a free news media? What regulations limit what  media can do? How do the media contribute to informing citizens and  monitoring politicians and the government, and how do we measure their  impact? This chapter explores these and other questions about the role  of the media in the United States.   Chapter 8 - The Media. An audiobook production of American Government  3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US  government and civics, and is used widely in college-level Political  Science courses. OpenSt ..read more

What brings voters to the polls, and how do they make their voting decisions? Those are just two of the questions about voting and elections this chapter will explore.   Chapter 7 - Voting and Elections. An audiobook production of American  Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US government and civics, and is used widely in college-level Political Science courses. OpenStax textbooks and this podcast are offered under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY-SA). Text  available for free at https://openstax.org. Narrated by Brian Barrick a ..read more

As many a disappointed candidate knows, public opinion matters. The way opinions are formed and the way we measure public opinion also matter. But how much, and why? These are some of the questions we’ll explore in this chapter. Chapter 6 - The Politics of Public Opinion. An audiobook production of American Government 3e, an OpenStax textbook. This textbook provides an introduction to US government and civics, and is used widely in college-level Political Science courses. OpenStax textbooks and this podcast are offered under a Creative Commons license (CC-BY-SA). Text available for free at ht ..read more