The Roots of American Exceptionalism: Institutions, Culture, and Policies [Paperback]

Draws on societies' unique histories, distinctive paths of institutional development and contrasting cultures to explain why they adopt different policies for common problems. It compares the United States with Sweden on tax policy, Canada on financing medical care, France on abortion policy, and Japan on immigration.Introduction? Tax Regimes in the United States and Sweden? Financing Medical Care in the United States and Canada? Abortion Policy in the United States and France? Immigration and Citizenship in the United States and Japan? Conclusions

This ambitious book is an ideal text for undergraduate and graduate courses in comparative politics, public policy, and American politics in comparative perspective. Lockhart offers a judicious appraisal of the complex factors that have produced nationally distinct policies and constrain innovative responses to new problems and crises. - Gary P. Freeman, University of Texas

This is a very good, original, and interesting comparison of crucial and topical governmental policies that should appeal to students and produce productive discussions. The case chapters are excellent and provide a wealth of material. The analysis is crisp, and the writing is engaging. - Paul Manuel, Saint Anselm College

Charles Lockhart is one of the leading scholars in the world today in the field of political culture. In a study that contrasts the United States with Sweden, Canada, France and Japan, he explores how history, institutions and culture interact to produce distinctive national policies in the areas of taxation, medical care, abortion and immigration. The result is a provocative tour de force that breathes new life into the comparative study of social policies. - Richard W. Wilson, Professor of Political Science, Rutgers University

Lockhart presents a clearly written account of a complex problem - how andwhy American social policies differ from those of other industriall³L