America's Democracy - The Ideal and the Reality (3rd Edition) A book of fundamentals, with attention to their historical context and development. It ties the fundamentals to present-day and events and the policy process, to show their immediacy and relevance for our lives today. It is a book that not only explains how government policy is made, but also why -or why not. America's Democracy emphasizes participation and the value of such participation, both for society and for the individual participants.