Congress in Context - Softcover

Haskell, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0813344123 ISBN 13: 9780813344126

Publisher: Westview Press, 2010

Synopsis

The U.S. Congress is by far the least popular branch of the federal government. It is also probably the least understood. It is not uncommon for high-ranking government officials to be confused about the workings of the institution and how it exercises its power. This book aims to demystify the institution-to give readers a succinct yet sophisticated overview of Congress and the policymaking process. Instead of treating Congress as an entity isolated from the rest of government, Congress in Context introduces readers to Congress's critical role as part of an interdependent system. Using the metaphor of Congress as a board of directors, author John Haskell explains the three key roles of Congress within the federal government-authorizing what government does, funding its activities, and, when it sees fit, supervising or conducting oversight” on those activities. Grounded in current political science literature and packed with real-life examples, Congress in Context offers readers an informed and practical understanding of policymaking in the legislative branch.

About this title

About the Author

John Haskell is Senior Fellow at the Government Affairs Institute in Washington, D.C. He has written several articles on presidential and congressional politics, and is the author of Fundamentally Flawed, an examination of the presidential nomination process.

Review

“Haskell’s Congress in Context offers faculty a terrific alternative for courses on Congress. It carefully balances depth and breadth, while remaining both substantive and engaging. It features exceptionally clear and accessible presentations of topics that students normally find confounding, such as the budget process and legislative procedure.” —Garry Young, George Washington University “Congress in Context is a very nice textbook. It is sharply written, very current, achieves a nice balance between details and over-arching themes, and is pitched at just the right level for classroom use. Haskell combines the insights of a keen observer of the inner workings of Washington with an experienced teacher’s instincts of how to relay information to college students. He places Congress squarely within the political context of modern Washington and explains not only how Congress works, but why students should care.” —L. Marvin Overby, University of Missouri 

About this edition

• Publisher: Westview Press
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0813344123
• ISBN 13: 9780813344126
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 440