Party, Process, and Political Change in Congress ─ Further New Perspectives on the History of Congress

Brady (political science and leadership values, Stanford U.) and McCubbins (political science, U. of California at San Diego) present the second of their edited volumes examining the institutional history of the United States Congress. The volume's 26 contributions explore external and internal influences on the institutional dynamics of Congress from the 19th century through the beginning of the 21st. Papers examining external issues look at such topics as the dynamics of Senate voting and the implementation of direct election of Senators; ideological polarization of the congressional parties since the 1970s; and floor voting, district ideology, and electoral margins. Those looking at internal changes discuss such topics as roll-call behavior and career advancement, filibuster reform in 1913-17, the history of the motion to recommit in the House of Representatives, bicameral resolution trends from the Civil War to 2002, roll-call behavior in lame-duck sessions of the House, and cloture reform. A few papers examine the relationship between these internal and external influences on the one hand and policy outcomes on the other. Annotation c2007 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)