Description
Book SynopsisAn analysis of the US House of Representatives in the 1980s and early 1990s, this text interweaves principal-agent theory, behavioural techniques and insider observations, tracing the emergence of a House majority party leadership deeply involved in multiple aspects of the legislative process.
Trade ReviewA most remarkable undertaking. It represents a scholarly research effort that has stretched over nearly two decades. It has involved the getting and maintaining an unusual level of access to the workings of Democratic party leadership and yet an ability to remain sufficiently distant to develop the broader perspective. The end result is clearly a most important-if not the most important-book on party leadership and Congress. -- Bruce I. Oppenheimer American Political Science Review A superb combination of description and analysis that captures the Democratic-dominated House of the 1980's and early 1990's... Sinclair has provided us with both a summing up and a benchmark as we proceed to analyze the so-called Republican Revolution as it reverberates through the U.S. House. We are in her debt. -- Burdett Loomis Congress and the Presidency A classic study of the postreform house for all present and future students of Congress...Applying a perceptive and disciplined mind to an impressive knowledge of the topic, the author provides a detailed and instructive account of the relations between majority leaders and members in the postreform House, as well as valuable evidence and insights on such matters as the blending of substance and politics in decision making, current patterns of relationships with lobbyists, and the emerging public role of the Speaker. -- Joseph Cooper Political Science Quarterly
Table of ContentsList of Tables
Preface, 1998
Acknowledgements
Chapter 1. The Leadership Puzzle: An Introduction
Chapter 2. Legislators, Leaders, and Lawmaking: A Principal-Agent Approach
Chapter 3. The House and Its Leadership from the 1950s Through the 1970s
Chapter 4. The Emergence of Activist Leadership in the House of Representatives
Chapter 5. Leadership in a Changing Environment: Tasks, Resources, and Strategies
Chapter 6. Organization, Communication, and Accountability
Chapter 7. Information and Inclusion: The Whip System
Chapter 8. Structuring Choices: The Rules Committee
Chapter 9. Leaders, Committees, and the Prefloor Legislative Process
Chapter 10. Assembling Floor Majorities
Chapter 11. Setting the Agenda and Shaping Debate
Chapter 12. Does Activist Leadership Make a Difference? Legislative Success and the Lawmaking Process in the Postreform House
Afterword, 1998
References
Index
