Partisan Competition and the Decline in Legislative Capacity among Congressional Offices
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6301296 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Jesse Crosson (0000-0003-4880-1037, Princeton University and Trinity University), Alexander C Furnas (0000-0001-8006-7798, University of Michigan), Timothy M Lapira (0000-0002-1203-7439, James Madison University), Casey Burgat (George Washington University) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 46 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 745-789 |
| Publication date | 2021-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Legislative Studies Quarterly (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0362-9805 • E-ISSN: 1939-9162 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/lsq.12301 |
| OpenAlex | W3046795090 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 24 |
| References cited | 33 |
Since the 1990s, members of the US House have shifted resources away from legislative functions to representational activities. We reveal this decline using an original dataset constructed from 236,000 quarterly payroll disbursements by 1,090 member offices for 120,000 unique staff between the 103rd and 113th Congresses, as well as interviews with former members and staff in Congress. These data allow us to test two plausible alternative explanations, one rooted in the centralization of legislative power over time and the other in conservatives’ desires to contract government power. We show that the decline in legislative capacity is symmetrical between and consistent within both parties, contrary to expectations rooted in asymmetrical, ideological sabotage. Additionally, this divestment occurs within incumbent member offices over time, accelerates when new members replace incumbents, and persists when majority control changes. We conclude that competition over institutional control and centralization of legislative functions motivates declining legislative capacity among individual members
Business · Competition (biology · Control (management · Craft · Divestment · Economics · Government (linguistics · Legislature · Management · Payroll · Political economy · Political science · Power (physics · Electoral Systems and Political Participation · Gender Politics and Representation · Law · Political Influence and Corporate Strategies · Public Administration · Accounting
Legislative Organization and Political Representation
Representation and the legislative enterprise
Lobbying venue selection under separation of powers and resource constraints
Insight for knowledge brokers
Science communication in Congress
Organizing Staff in the U.S. Senate
Human Capital Exiting Capitol Hill? Differences in Congressional Staff Turnover by Race and Gender
Mechanisms of Checks and Balances
Getting what you pay for
Veto players and policy development
Theorizing Norm Stagnation and the Evolution of Domestic Norm Compliance
How to Cautiously Uncover the “Black Box” of Machine Learning Models for Legislative Scholars
Do Local Roots Impact Washington Behaviors? District Connections and Representation in the U.S. Congress
Talking Shops
Following the leaders
Fighting for Majorities? Explaining the Development of Caucus Fund-Raising in American Legislatures
Mechanisms of Political Responsiveness
Information is cheap, but filtering is costly
Working at home
Conducting Interview Projects in the US Congress
Legislative capacity limits interest group influence
Expertise acquisition in Congress
Polarization and the Ties That Bind
How Are Politicians Informed? Witnesses and Information Provision in Congress
The Personal Vote
Setting the Agenda
Representing the Advantaged
Why Parties?
Legislating in the Dark
The Gingrich Senators
Revolving Door Lobbying
Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress
Representational Style in Congress
Constituency Representation in Congress
Insecure Majorities
Congress, The Electoral Connection
Party Fundraising, Descriptive Representation, and the Battle for Majority Control
U. S. Congressman as Enterprise
The Institutionalization of the U.S. House of Representatives
Unorthodox lawmaking
The Effects of Congressional Staff Networks in the US House of Representatives
Revolving Door Lobbyists and the Value of Congressional Staff Connections
The Price of Leadership
A Theory of Political Parties
Multidimensional Responsiveness
When Are Women More Effective Lawmakers Than Men
Crystal Elephants and Committee Chairs
Congressional Staff Turnover and the Ties-That-Bind
Contours of the Modern Congressional Career
Legislative Staff and Representation in Congress
| Unique citing works | 24 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 4,8 |
| Citation span | 2021 - 2026 (6) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 24 |