Who Sets the Agenda? Participation Asymmetries in the Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress in the 116th Congress

Bibliographic Data

ID12380350
AuthorsEmily Baer (0000-0002-4162-6902, University of New Hampshire at Manchester, corresponding author)
Year2022
Volume55
Issue4
Pages668-676
Publication date2022-07-11
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePS Political Science & Politics (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1049-0965 • E-ISSN: 1537-5935
PublisherCambridge University Press (CUP) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1017/s1049096522000610
OpenAlexW4285013232
LanguageEN
References cited10

In January 2019, the House of Representatives voted 418–12 to respond to widespread bipartisan criticism of the inner workings of the legislative branch by creating a Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress. This article examines the leadership, participation, and salience of the Select Committee by key reform stakeholders, including individual members, party factions, leaders, interest groups, and the national media that cover Congress. I identify bifurcated participation patterns that overrepresent the interests of junior members, party leaders, and Democratic Party factions. I also find limited salience of Select Committee activities among key stakeholders. The findings raise normative and theoretical questions about procedural reform and reveal a significant challenge to coalition-building efforts in future sessions of Congress

Criticism · Democracy · House of Representatives · Legislature · Modernization theory · Normative · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Salience (neuroscience · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Law · Policy Transfer and Learning · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Psychology · Public Administration

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