Analyzing Congress 2E Pa

by Stewart III,Charles

• ISBN13: 9780393935066
• ISBN10: 039393506X
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2011-09-27
• Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Summary

Analyzing Congress provides students with the basic analytical tools for understanding congressional politics. In addition to introducing the fundamental concepts and theory, the text includes many empirical cases drawn from the classic Congress literature and from recent developments in Congress. For the Second Edition, new cases and updated data figures have been added throughout the text, expanded problem sets and conceptual questions now appear at the end of every chapter, and the presentation of the spatial model in Chapter 1 has been revised to make it more teachable to undergraduates.

Author Biography

Charles Stewart III is Kenan Sahin Distinguished Professor of Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. He is the author of Budget Reform Politics: The Design of the Appropriations Process in the House, 1865-1921 (Cambridge University Press) and numerous journal articles about Congress, elections, and voting technology. Professor Stewart has been recognized by MIT as one of a select body of McVicar fellows "who have profoundly influenced MIT students through their sustained and significant contributions to teaching and curriculum development."

Table of Contents

Preface	p. xv
An (Unusual) Introduction to the Study of Congress	p. 3
The Politics of Lineland: Spatial Voting Theory in One Dimension	p. 7
The Politics of Flatland: The Multidimensional Spatial Voting Model	p. 23
Two Unresolved Issues: Salience and Sophistication	p. 36
Spatial Voting Theory and the Study of Congress	p. 47
Further Reading	p. 50
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 50
Problems	p. 52
The Constitutional Origins of Congress	p. 58
The Failure of the First Congress of the United States	p. 59
What the Framers Wrought	p. 65
Spatial Analysis of Constitutional Features	p. 74
Further Reading	p. 88
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 89
Problems	p. 90
The History and Development of Congress	p. 95
The Experimental Era, 1789-1812	p. 101
The Democratizing System, 1820-1860	p. 103
The Civil War System, 1865-1896	p. 111
The Textbook Era, 1912-1968	p. 117
The Candidate-Centered Congress	p. 125
Conclusion	p. 131
Further Reading	p. 131
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 132
The Choices Candidates Make: Running for Congress	p. 138
Strategic Choice and Political Careers	p. 140
Progressive Ambition in the United States	p. 143
The Costs and Benefits of Running for Office	p. 149
Incumbents, Challengers, and Open Seat Candidates	p. 161
Conclusion: The Engine of Ambition in Congressional Elections	p. 168
Further Reading	p. 168
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 169
Problems	p. 170
The Choices Voters Make	p. 175
The Decision to Vote	p. 176
Deciding Whom to Support	p. 190
The Problem of Multiple Constituencies: Primaries versus the General Election	p. 195
Further Reading	p. 200
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 200
Problems	p. 201
Regulating Elections	p. 205
Running for Congress: The Basics	p. 206
Congressional Districting	p. 210
Campaign Finance	p. 226
Conclusion	p. 244
Further Reading	p. 245
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 245
Problems	p. 247
Parties and Leaders in Congress	p. 254
The History of Political Parties in Congress	p. 255
Parties as Organizations	p. 263
On the Strength of Parties	p. 276
The Benefits of Strong Parties in Congress	p. 285
Conclusion	p. 289
Further Reading	p. 289
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 290
Committees in Congress	p. 294
The Committee System	p. 296
House-Senate Comparisons	p. 333
Theoretical Perspectives on Committees	p. 339
Further Reading	p. 352
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 353
Problems	p. 356
Doing It on the Floor: The Organization of Deliberation and What We Can Learn from It	p. 361
Why a Bill Does Not Become a Law	p. 362
How a Few Bills Become Law	p. 366
Roll Call Votes and What They Can Tell Us	p. 397
Further Reading	p. 407
Summary of Key Concepts	p. 408
Problems	p. 412
Researching Congress	p. 417
Studying Congress Generally	p. 418
A Further Word about Congressional Documents	p. 420
Scholarly Research on Congress	p. 422
Other Electronic Sources for Studying Policy and Politics	p. 424
The United States Constitution	p. 427
References	p. 449
Table of Contents provided by Ingram. All Rights Reserved.