Description
Book SynopsisAnalyzing leadership, committee, and procedural restructuring in four periods, this book argues that coalitions promoting a wide range of member interests drive change in both the House and Senate. It shows that multiple interests determine institutional innovation within a period; and that different interests are important in different periods.
Trade ReviewWinner of the Fenno Prize "This is a very good read for students of Congress who puzzle over the institution's configuration... An excellent examination of institutional change."--Choice "If we know anything about the U.S. Congress it is this: Congress is a dynamic, ever-changing institution... Alas, for good reasons our theories of congressional organization tend to the static and our empirical analyses tend to the cross-sectional. Eric Schickler's fine book joins a growing set of efforts to understand how and why Congress changes."--Garry Young, Political Science Quarterly "This book is essential reading for those interested in internal legislative politics, and an important contribution to the more general literature on American politics."--Keith E. Whittington, Congress and the Presidency
Table of ContentsList of Figures ix List of Tables xi Acknowledgments xiii Chapter 1. Disjointed Pluralism and Institutional Change 3 Chapter 2. Institutional Development, 1890-1910: An Experiment in Party Government 27 Chapter 3. Institutional Development, 1919-1932: Cross-Party Coalitions, Bloc Government, and Republican Rule 85 Chapter 4. Institutional Development, 1937-1952: The Conservative Coalition, Congress against the Executive, and Committee Government 136 Chapter 5. Institutional Development, 1970-1989: A Return to Party Government or the Triumph of Individualism? 189 Chapter 6. Understanding Congressional Change 249 Epilogue. Institutional Change in the 1990s 270 Appendix A. Case Selection 277 Appendix B. Votes Pertaining to Institutional Changes in Each Period 281 Notes 295 References 329 Index 349
