The Substance of Representation: Congress, American Political Development, and Lawmaking

John S. Lapinski

ISBN 10: 069113782X / ISBN 13: 9780691137827

Published by Princeton University Press, 2013

About this Item

Lawmaking is crucial to American democracy because it completely defines and regulates the public life of the nation. This title draws on a range of historical and empirical data to better understand how lawmaking works across different policy areas. Series: Princeton Studies in American Politics: Historical, International and Comparative Perspectives. Num Pages: 192 pages, 15 line illus. 30 tables. BIC Classification: 1KBB; JPH; JPQB. Category: (P) Professional & Vocational; (U) Tertiary Education (US: College). Dimension: 232 x 157 x 15. Weight in Grams: 332. . 2013. 0th Edition. Paperback. . . . .

Seller Inventory # V9780691137827

Bibliographic Details

• Title: The Substance of Representation: Congress, American Political Development, and Lawmaking
• Publisher: Princeton University Press
• Publication Date: 2013
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 069113782X
• ISBN 13: 9780691137827
• Binding: Soft cover
• Condition: New

About this title

Synopsis

Lawmaking is crucial to American democracy because it completely defines and regulates the public life of the nation. Yet despite its importance, political scientists spend very little time studying the direct impact that the politics surrounding a particular issue has on lawmaking. The Substance of Representation draws on a vast range of historical and empirical data to better understand how lawmaking works across different policy areas. Specifically, John Lapinski introduces a theoretically grounded method for parsing policy issues into categories, and he shows how policymaking varies in predictable ways based on the specific issue area being addressed.


Lapinski examines the ways in which key factors that influence policymaking matter for certain types of policy issues, and he includes an exhaustive look at how elite political polarization shifts across these areas. He considers how Congress behaves according to the policy issue at hand, and how particular areas--such as war, sovereignty issues, and immigration reform--change legislative performance. Relying on records of all Congressional votes since Reconstruction and analyzing voting patterns across policy areas from the late nineteenth to late twentieth centuries, Lapinski provides a comprehensive historical perspective on lawmaking in order to shed light on current practices.


Giving a clear picture of Congressional behavior in the policymaking process over time, The Substance of Representation provides insights into the critical role of American lawmaking.

About the Author

John S. Lapinski is the Robert A. Fox Professor of Political Science at the University of Pennsylvania and the director of elections for NBC News. He is the coeditor of The Macropolitics of Congress (Princeton).