Politics and Policy

Sundquist clearly and engagingly traces the development of many programs in what would become Johnson’s Great Society as they developed over three presidential administrations. Education reform, poverty, the environment, social services and more are shown rising from America’s post-war boom but taking years, and often much effort, to come into being. This history is more complete than even many individual accounts of given programs as it examines presidential influence, public opinion, changes in Congress, the rise and fall of interest groups, and how each can lead or be led by the others.

James L. Sundquist is senior fellow emeritus in the Governmental Studies program at Brookings and the author of numerous books, including Constitutional Reform and Effective Government (Brookings, rev. ed., 1992).