Magstadt's UNDERSTANDING POLITICS: IDEAS, INSTITUTIONS, AND ISSUES, 13th Edition, delivers in-depth coverage of contemporary issues and places them in the context of more enduring underlying questions. With a "politics are pertinent" theme, it analyzes three fundamental premises: Politics is a pervasive force in modern society; government is too important to be left in the hands of a few; and the right to participate in public life is a precious thing unique to republics. It offers insight into key topics -- democracy, dictatorship, ideology, citizenship, voting behavior, public policy, leadership, war, foreign policy, world politics -- while analyzing new issues, including the Trump presidency, social media in politics, Russian interference in Western elections, Brexit, the rise of China as a partner and rival, the appeal of populism and nativism as a reaction to globalism, and more. MindTap, an outcome-driven application that propels students from memorization to mastery, is available with this title for the first time.