Problem
A. Summarize the parallels drawn by the text between baseball and U.S. politics?
B. The text distinguishes between structural change and conscious, voluntary political change. What are the differences between the two kinds of change? In what ways, according to the text, are the two independent of each other?
C. Summarize the arguments and evidence presented in the text to support the book's claim that the tension between democracy and capitalism is at the very core of U.S. politics.
D. Summarize the main aspects of the American dream and how it allows people in the United States to manage the tension between democracy and capitalism.
E. Define the concept of "equality of opportunity." How has "equality of opportunity" been employed to argue both sides in the tension between democracy and capitalism?
F. Evaluate Robert Dahl's claim that "a large firm is . . . inherently a political system." What does he mean by this statement?
G. On the one hand, the authors claim that the politics of power "reflects and contributes to inequalities rather than narrowing them." On the other, they also claim that the politics of power can "reverse the trend toward growing inequality." Summarize the arguments for each of these claims. Which do you think is a more accurate assessment of the potential of politics?
H. In the conclusion to this chapter, the text states "there are reasons for hope, but no grounds for complacency." What are the reasons for hope? Why are there no grounds for complacency?