Description
Book SynopsisMaya L. Kornberg examines the legislative process beyond voting patterns, emphasizing the crucial role of congressional committee hearings. Demonstrating that Congress is not as dysfunctional as is often claimed, this book also suggests timely reforms based on these findings that can strengthen Congress.
Trade ReviewMaya L. Kornberg has produced a rich, informative, and beautifully written study of the internal operations of the contemporary Congress.
Inside Congressional Committees is a refreshingly balanced perspective, one that offers a nuanced understanding of Congress’s strengths, weaknesses, and complex institutional realities. -- Frances E. Lee, Princeton University
This creative and impressive book shines a welcome light on the political underbelly of committees in the U.S. Congress. Marshalling a remarkable array of evidence, Kornberg pinpoints the roles of norms and relationships in sustaining committees as arenas of bipartisan problem solving. She advances a nuanced, clear-eyed view of the potential and pitfalls of today’s committees. -- Sarah Binder, George Washington University
Kornberg significantly increases our understanding of how congressional committee hearings are structured, who testifies at them, what those witnesses say, and what impact the hearings have. This book is a must-read for scholars of Congress. -- Josh Chafetz, Georgetown University
Everyone loves to hate Congress for being dysfunctional, polarized, and weak. Kornberg’s elegant study asks us to think twice. She carefully examines how congressional committees actually channel expertise and discourse, why that matters, and where to focus any efforts to make it better. -- William J. Antholis, CEO of the Miller Center of Public Affairs, University of Virginia
Kornberg’s book is well-written and easy to read while demonstrating the continued importance of qualitative research to aid our understanding of factors that can be difficult to observe and measure, but are nonetheless important. * Congress and the Presidency *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. Setting up a Hearing
2. Who Are the Witnesses?
3. Witness Typology
4. How Congress Listens: The Different Hearing Types
5. Committee Hearings as Educational Platforms
6. Committee Hearings as Theatrical Stages
7. Committees as Spaces for Personal Connection
8. Neither Dead nor Ossified: congress today
Appendix A. Details on interview sample
Appendix B. Desirability and Partisanship Rankings
Appendix C. Balance Score Data Set by Term
Notes
Bibliography
Index
