Includes bibliographical references and index.

American values, ethical analysis, and democratic process -- Introduction -- Ethics and policy-making -- Overview -- American political culture : core values -- Five value clusters -- Values and generational change -- A framework for ethical public policy analysis -- Utilitarianism -- Deontological ethics (Kantianism) -- Prudent pragmatism -- Prudent pragmatism and consensus : case ethics in monist and in pluralist society -- The fusion of religion and politics in monist society -- Case morality in monist society -- Casuistry in medieval Europe -- Consensus in pluralist society -- Prudent pragmatism and democratic polity : citizen, representative, and policy analyst -- Citizenship in a democracy -- Representation and representatives -- Policy analysis in deliberative democracy -- Issues and cases -- Introduction to part two -- National healthcare policy -- The U.S. public health system -- Controlling tobacco as a hazardous substance -- Case study : New York's response to second-hand smoke -- Paying for individual health care : the insurance dilemma -- Prescription drugs and medicare : a case study -- Criminal justice -- The administration of criminal justice : a historical perspective -- Racial profiling and the war on drugs -- Racial profiling in New Jersey : a case study -- Combating subversion : crime control or war -- The Lackawanna six : a case study -- Social welfare policy in the United States : conflicting principles of distributive justice -- The welfare state in Europe and in America -- America's response to immigration : illegals and welfare -- Welfare and illegal aliens : the case of California -- Health care for the poor -- Medicaid and the poor in Allegany County : a case study -- Biotechnology and humanity -- The biotechnology revolution -- Public control of scientific research -- Stem cell research -- The Bush prohibition : a case study -- Organ transplantation and organ donation -- Enhancing the organ supply by changing the moral culture : a case study -- The natural environment and human well-being -- Environmental policy a major concern -- Clean air -- The clear skies initiative : a case study -- The harnessing of America's rivers -- Problems and contradictions in the dam complex : a case study -- Ethical defense -- America in the world : leader or hegemon? -- America at war -- Preemptive war -- The decision to invade Iraq : a case study -- Treatment of enemy prisoners in wartime -- Interrogations in Abu Ghraib prison : a case study -- Conclusion.