"What is American government like today? How has it changed - and how has it remained the same - over the course of the century now coming to a close? Taking Stock seeks to provide the fullest and most thoughtful answers yet offered to these questions. It brings together historians and political scientists to examine the past experience, current state, and future prospects of five major American public issues: trade and tariff policy, immigration and aliens, conservation and environmentalism, civil rights, and social welfare. The contributors examine the evolving nature of these issues, the reactive policies of the federal government, and the institutional devices by which these policies have been applied."--Jacket.