The Oxford Handbook of the American Congress (Oxford Handbooks)

The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are the essential guide to the study of American political life in the 21st Century. With engaging, new contributions from the major figures in the field The Oxford Handbook of the American Congress provides the key point of reference for anyone working in American Politics today. No Legislature In The World Has A Greater Influence Over Its Nation's Public Affairs Than The Us Congress. The Congress's Centrality In The Us System Of Government Has Placed Research On Congress At The Heart Of Scholarship On American Politics. Generations Of American Government Scholars Working In A Wide Range Of Methodological Traditions Have Focused Their Analysis On Understanding Congress, Both As A Lawmaking And A Representative Institution. The Oxford Handbook Of The American Congress Takes Stock Of This Impressive And Diverse Literature, Identifying Areas Of Accomplishment And Promising Directions For Future Work. Introduction / Eric Schickler, Frances E. Lee -- Studying The Congress. Behavioral Approaches To The Study Of Congress / Bruce I. Oppenheimer -- Formal Approaches To The Study Of Congress / Craig Volden, Alan E. Wiseman -- Measuring Legislative Preferences / Nolan Mccarty -- Touching The Bones : Interviewing And Direct Observational Studies Of Congress / Ross K. Baker -- Historical Approaches To The Study Of Congress : Toward A Congressional Vantage On American Political Development / Ira Katznelson -- Elections. House And Senate Elections / Jamie L. Carson, Jason M. Roberts -- Congressional Campaigns / Tracy Sulkin -- Congressional Redistricting / Michael P. Mcdonald -- Campaign Finance In Congressional Elections / Robin Kolodny -- Representation And Responsiveness. Descriptive Representation : Understanding The Impact Of Identity On Substantive Representation Of Group Interests / Michele L. Swers, Stella M. Rouse -- Bicameral Representation / Frances E. Lee -- Dyadic Representation / Stephen Ansolabehere, Philip Edward Jones -- Pork Barrel Politics / Diana Evans -- Public Opinion And Congressional Policy / David W. Brady -- Public Evaluations Of Congress / John D. Griffin -- Congressional Institutions And Procedures. Party Leadership / Randall W. Strahan -- Congressional Committees / C. Lawrence Evans -- Supermajority Senate / Gregory J. Wawro -- Managing Plenary Time : The U.s. Congress In Comparative Context / Gary W. Cox, Mathew D. Mccubbins -- Congressional Reforms / E. Scott Adler -- Congressional Budget Process / John B. Gilmour -- Politics And Policymaking. Party Polarization / Brian F. Schaffner -- Deliberation In Congress / Paul J. Quirk, William Bendix -- Roll-call Votes / Sean Theriault, Patrick Hickey, Abby Blass -- Lobbying And Interest Group Advocacy / Beth L. Leech -- Ties That Bind : Coalitions In Congress / John D. Wilkerson, Barry Pump -- Legislative Productivity And Gridlock / Sarah Binder -- Congressional Development. Development Of Congressional Elections / Wendy J. Schiller -- Evolution Of Party Leadership / Jeffery A. Jenkins -- Development Of The Congressional Committee System / Eric Schickler -- Majority Rule And Minority Rights / Douglas Dion -- Sectionalism And Congressional Development / Richard Bensel -- Congress And The Constitutional System. Congress And The Executive Branch : Delegation And Presidential Dominance / B. Dan Wood -- Congressional War Powers / Linda L. Fowler -- Amorphous Relationship Between Congress And The Courts / Michael A. Bailey, Forrest Maltzman, Charles R. Shipan -- Reflections. Reflections On The Study Of Congress, 1969-2009 / Morris P. Fiorina -- Theorizing About Congress / David R. Mayhew. Edited By Eric Schickler And Frances E. Lee. Includes Bibliographical References And Indexes. No legislature in the world has a greater influence over its nation's public affairs than the US Congress. The Congress's centrality in the US system of government has placed research on Congress at the heart of scholarship on American politics. Generations of American government scholars working in a wide range of methodological traditions have focused their analysis on understanding Congress, both as a lawmaking and a representative institution. The Oxford Handbook of the American Congress takes stock of this impressive and diverse literature, identifying areas of accomplishment and promising directions for future work. The editors have commissioned 38 chapters by leading scholars in the field, each chapter critically engages the scholarship focusing on a particular aspect of congressional politics, including the institution's responsiveness to the American public, its procedures and capacities for policymaking, its internal procedures and development, relationships between the branches of government, and the scholarly methodologies for approaching these topics. The Handbook also includes chapters addressing timely questions, including partisan polarization, congressional war powers, and the supermajoritarian procedures of the contemporary Senate. Beyond simply bringing readers up to speed on the current state of research, the volume offers critical assessments of how each literature has progressed--or failed to progress--in recent decades. The chapters identify the major questions posed by each line of research and assess the degree to which the answers developed in the literature are persuasive. The goal is not simply to tell us where we have been as a field, but to set an agenda for research on Congress for the next decade. The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are a set of reference books offering authoritative and engaging critical overviews of the state of scholarship on American politics. Each volume focuses on a particular aspect of the field. The project is under the General Editorship of George C. Edwards III, and distinguished specialists in their respective fields edit each volume. The Handbooks aim not just to report on the discipline, but also to shape it as scholars critically assess the scholarship on a topic and propose directions in which it needs to move. The series is an indispensable reference for anyone working in American politics. General Editor for The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics : George C. Edwards III No legislature in the world has a greater influence over its nation's public affairs than the US Congress. The Congress's centrality in the US system of government has placed research on Congress at the heart of scholarship on American politics. Generations of American government scholars working in a wide range of methodological traditions have focused their analysis on understanding Congress, both as a lawmaking and a representative institution. The purpose of this volume is to take stock of this impressive and diverse literature, identifying areas of accomplishment and promising directions for future work. The editors have commissioned 37 chapters by leading scholars in the field, each chapter critically engages the scholarship focusing on a particular aspect of congressional politics, including the institution's responsiveness to the American public, its procedures and capacities for policymaking, its internal procedures and development, relationships between the branches of government, and the scholarly methodologies for approaching these topics. The Handbook also includes chapters addressing timely questions, including partisan polarization, congressional war powers, and the supermajoritarian procedures of the contemporary Senate. Beyond simply bringing readers up to speed on the current state of research, the volume offers critical assessments of how each literature has progressed - or failed to progress - in recent decades. The chapters identify the major questions posed by each line of research and assess the degree to which the answers developed in the literature are persuasive. The goal is not simply to tell us where we have been as a field, but to set an agenda for research on Congress for the next decade. The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics are a set of reference books offering authoritative and engaging critical overviews of the state of scholarship on American politics. Each volume focuses on a particular aspect of the field. The project is under the General Editorship of George C. Edwards III, and distinguished specialists in their respective fields edit each volume. The Handbooks aim not just to report on the discipline, but also to shape it as scholars critically assess the scholarship on a topic and propose directions in which it needs to move. The series is an indispensable reference for anyone working in American politics. General Editor for The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics: George C. Edwards III Cover Contents About the Contributors PART I: INTRODUCTION 1. Introduction PART II: STUDYING THE CONGRESS 2. Behavioral Approaches to the Study of Congress 3. Formal Approaches to the Study of Congress 4. Measuring Legislative Preferences 5. Touching the Bones: Interviewing and Direct Observational Studies of Congress 6. Historical Approaches to the Study of Congress: Toward a Congressional Vantage on American Political Development PART III: ELECTIONS 7. House and Senate Elections 8. Congressional Campaigns 9. Congressional Redistricting 10. Campaign Finance in Congressional Elections PART IV: REPRESENTATION AND RESPONSIVENESS 11. Descriptive Representation: Understanding the Impact of Identity on Substantive Representation of Group Interests 12. Bicameral Representation 13. Dyadic Representation 14. Pork Barrel Politics 15. Public Opinion and Congressional Policy 16. Public Evaluations of Congress PART V: CONGRESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS AND PROCEDURES 17. Party Leadership 18. Congressional Committees 19. The Supermajority Senate 20. Managing Plenary Time: The U.S. Congress in Comparative Context 21. Congressional Reforms 22. The Congressional Budget Process PART VI: POLITICS AND POLICYMAKING 23. Party Polarization 24. Deliberation in Congress 25. Roll-Call Votes 26. Lobbying and Interest Group Advocacy 27. The Ties That Bind: Coalitions in Congress 28. Legislative Productivity and Gridlock PART VII: CONGRESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 29. The Development of Congressional Elections 30. The Evolution of Party Leadership 31. The Development of the Congressional Committee System 32. Majority Rule and Minority Rights 33. Sectionalism and Congressional Development PART VIII: CONGRESS AND THE CONSTITUTIONAL SYSTEM 34. Congress and the Executive Branch: Delegation and Presidential Dominance 35. Congressional War Powers 36. The Amorphous Relationship between Congress and the Courts PART IX: REFLECTIONS 37. Reflections on the Study of Congress, 1969–2009 38. Theorizing about Congress Name Index A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W Y Z Subject Index A B C D E F G H I J L M N O P R S T U V W The Oxford Handbook of the American Congress , written by leading scholars in the field, takes stock of the impressive and diverse literature published about the American Congress. No legislature in the world has a greater influence over its nation's public affairs than the US Congress. Congress's centrality in the US system of government has placed research on Congress at the heart of scholarship on American politics. Generations of American government scholars working in a wide range of methodological traditions have focused their analysis on understanding Congress, both as a law-making and a representative institution. Each article of this text focuses on a particular aspect of congressional politics, including the institution's responsiveness to the American public, its procedures and capacities for policymaking, its internal procedures and development, relationships between the branches of government, and the scholarly methodologies for approaching these topics. The book also includes articles addressing timely questions, including partisan polarization, congressional war powers, and the supermajoritarian procedures of the contemporary Senate. Beyond simply bringing readers up to speed on the current state of research, the book offers critical assessments of how each literature has progressed—or failed to progress—in recent decades. The articles identify the major questions posed by each line of research and assess the degree to which the answers developed in the literature are persuasive. This is one of The Oxford Handbooks of American Politics —a set of reference books offering authoritative and engaging critical overviews of the state of scholarship on American politics