The Impact of Women in Congress

by Debra L. Dodson

Overview

This is a major new assessment of the impact of women members of the US Congress on public policy and Congress itself. Drawing on three key case studies—reproductive health, women's health, and health policy—from the 103rd and 104th Congresses, Dodson highlights the complex forces that shape what women members do and their influence on the institution.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780198296744
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	07/20/2006
Series:	Gender and Politics
Pages:	308
Product dimensions:	9.30(w) x 6.30(h) x 0.90(d)

Table of Contents

AcknowledgementsPart I: Introduction1. Rethinking Difference2. Capturing the ProcessPart II: Representing Women, Consensus, and Complexity3. Representing Women: The Elite to Elite Connection4. Representing Women in the Mass PublicPart III: Difference, Negotiation, and Constraints in the Policy Process5. Reproductive Rights, Gender Difference, and the Paradox of Power6. Reproductive Rights: Redefining the Meaning of Critical Mass7. Women's Health: Staying the Course with a Critical Mass8. Women's Health in the 104th: A Shelter in the Storm9. Health Care Policy in the 103rd: The Convergence of the Politics of Presence and the Politics of Ideas10. Health Insurance Reform in the 104thConclusion: Looking Toward the FutureMethodological AppendixBibliography

Editorial Reviews

"The title understates the scope of this book. While students of Congress indeed should read this book - and not only those interested in women - so should those concerned about policymaking, representation, and new approaches to studying institutions. Its conclusions are sophisticated and nuanced, and illuminate all of these fields...The book provides a suitably complex framework for understanding a major change under way in representation, policy making, and institutional power."—Political Science Quarterly

From the Publisher