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ICYMI: Top reads on Congress
Kevin Kosar, “Congress’s tech policy knowledge gap,” Cato Unbound: “The current Congress might benefit from an OTA that spends more time on the latter than the former. One can… Read More
Are amendment strategies learned through experience or contingent on the institution?
Seniority in Congress is a standard explanation for why some legislators are more effective lawmakers. Studies in political science reinforce this assumption with empirical observations that senior members are more… Read More
The liberal Democratic origins of the conservative House Freedom Caucus
Perhaps no group better epitomizes what James Madison described as the “mischiefs of faction” in the 21st century than the House Freedom Caucus (HFC). Madison defines a faction as “a number of citizens,… Read More
A polarized Congress relies more on party-aligned think tanks
Congress is more polarized and has less capacity to process complex information than ever. These trends are related. As Congress cut the budgets of its own internal think tanks –… Read More
ICYMI: Top reads on Congress
Don Wolfensberger, “House subpoena fights imperil interbranch comity,” The Hill: Never before has a president signaled that his administration will resist all subpoenas issued by one house of Congress because it… Read More
ICYMI: Top reads on Congress
Cristina Marcos, “Former lawmakers urge Congress to consider pay raises,” The Hill: “Former lawmakers on Wednesday urged a select committee tasked with modernizing Congress to consider finding ways to… Read More
Interest groups are out-performing the parties in congressional primaries
Party organizations have historically been successful in nominating their preferred candidates. However, thanks to the creation of super PACs, interest groups have become integral in determining candidates’ success… Read More
How the Senate keeps track of its precedents
An intricate architecture of rules and practices governs the legislative process in the Senate. The institution’s procedural structure rests on five interlocking supports: the Constitution; the Standing Rules of the… Read More
How centralized or decentralized should power be in the House of Representatives?
To: The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress From: James M. Curry, University of Utah Reform: How centralized or decentralized should… Read More
Create a Professional Advisory Council for committees, remove cameras from hearings (at least some of them), reform committee jurisdictions
To: The Select Committee on the Modernization of Congress From: Maya Kornberg, Ph.D. candidate, Oxford University Reform: Create a Professional Advisory Council… Read More