Congress and Back Seat Driving
An Information Theory of the War Powers Resolution
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6330830 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Erik Gartzke (0000-0001-9439-1310, University of Iowa, corresponding author) |
| Year | 1996 |
| Volume | 24 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 259-286 |
| Publication date | 1996-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Policy Studies Journal (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0190-292X • E-ISSN: 1541-0072 |
| Publisher | Wiley (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.1111/j.1541-0072.1996.tb01628.x |
| OpenAlex | W2159917887 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 1 |
| References cited | 22 |
Few pieces of legislation in the realm of foreign policy decisionmaking have greater potential effect or are more controversial than the War Powers Resolution. The Resolution was intended originally to create greater leverage for Congress over executive use of military force. In this effort, it is widely believed that the Resolution has been ineffective. This paper uses an information theoretic model to examine the War Powers Resolution. Results of the modeling process allow for two general assertions. First, the model suggests that the Resolution is an optimal choice of procedure by the legislature. In other words, the War Powers Resolution is better for Congress than its alternatives. Second, the information theoretic approach used here seems to coincide with an anecdotal history of the war powers debate better than do alternative explanations. Indeed, the analysis helps to explain why war powers legislation was not considered seriously sooner. Though criticism of the War Powers Resolution has its merits, claims for a variety of alternative procedural systems may be open to challenge. Those wishing to establish mechanisms for curtailing executive adventurism abroad may find it more rewarding to focus efforts on the budgeting process or on the reduction of military force structures
Economics · Law and economics · Legislation · Legislature · Leverage (statistics · Political science · Realm · Resolution (logic · Computer Science · Defense, Military, and Policy Studies · Global Peace and Security Dynamics · Law · Legal and Constitutional Studies · Artificial Intelligence
A Question of Balance
Between Peace and War
Information and Legislative Organization
Congress and the Politics of U.S. Foreign Policy
The Transformation of the U.S. Senate
Essence of Decision
Agendas, alternatives, and public policies
Congress, The Electoral Connection
The Reagan Administration, the 1973 War Powers Resolution, and the Invasion of Grenada
Undeclared War
Counterfactuals and Hypothesis Testing in Political Science
Weak Models, Nil Hypotheses, And Decorative Statistics
The Political Control of Bureaucracies under Asymmetric Information
The Budget Process and the Size of the Budget
Antiterrorism and the Withering of the 1973 War Powers Resolution
The Post-Vietnam Formula under Siege
The Constitution and Presidential Warmaking
The Gulf War and the Constitution
Why are Congressional Committees Powerful
Revising the War Powers Act
| Unique citing works | 1 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 0,05 |
| Citation span | 2004 - 2004 (1) |
| Citation velocity | historical |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 1 |