Congress and Its Members

by Roger H. Davidson, Walter J. Oleszek, Frances E. Lee, Eric Schickler, James M. Curry

Overview

Congress and Its Members has been the gold standard for Congress courses for thirty years. Now in its 19th edition, the book offers comprehensive coverage of the U.S. Congress and the legislative process by examining the tension between Congress as a lawmaking institution and as a collection of politicians constantly seeking re-election. The 19th edition covers the outcomes of the 2022 election and subsequent changes in in congressional organization and leadership, including the protracted battle for the House speakership. The book’s election coverage details regional shifts in party strength, voting behavior, the use of digital media in congressional elections, and state-level efforts to expand and restrict voting access. Up-to-date information on the diversity of the new Congress in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and professional background is provided. The politics and outcomes of the 2022 primary elections are covered, as well.
 
Always balancing great scholarship with currency, the book features lively case material along with relevant data, charts, maps, and photos.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781071901786
Publisher:	SAGE Publications
Publication date:	09/05/2023
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	656
File size:	12 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.

About the Author

Roger H. Davidson was professor emeritus of government and politics at the University

of Maryland and served as visiting professor of political science at the University of

California, Santa Barbara. He was a senior fellow of the National Academy of Public

Administration. During the 1970s, he served on the staffs of reform efforts in both the

House (Bolling-Martin Committee) and the Senate (Stevenson-Brock Committee).

For the 2001–2002 academic year, he served as the John Marshall chair in political

science at the University of Debrecen, Hungary. His books include Remaking

Congress: Change and Stability in the 1990s, co-edited with James A. Thurber (1995),

and Understanding the Presidency, 7th ed., co-edited with James P. Pfiffner (2013).

Davidson was co-editor with Donald C. Bacon and Morton Keller of The Encyclopedia

of the United States Congress (1995).

 

Walter J. Oleszek is a senior specialist in the legislative process at the Congressional

Research Service. He has served as either a full-time professional staff aide or consultant

to many major House and Senate congressional reorganization efforts beginning

with the passage of the Legislative Reorganization Act of 1970. In 1993, he served as

policy director of the Joint Committee on the Organization of Congress. A former

adjunct faculty member at American University, Oleszek is a frequent lecturer to various

academic, governmental, and business groups. He is the author or co-author of several

books, including Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process, 11th ed. (2020),

and Congress Under Fire: Reform Politics and the Republican Majority, with C. Lawrence

Evans (1997).

Frances E. Lee is professor of politics and public affairs in the School of Public and

International Affairs and the Department of Politics at Princeton University. She has

been a research fellow at the Brookings Institution and an APSA congressional fellow.

Most recently, she is co-author of The Limits of Party: Congress and Lawmaking in a

Polarized Era (2020). She is also the author of Insecure Majorities: Congress and the

Perpetual Campaign (2016) and Beyond Ideology: Politics, Principles, and Partisanship

in the U.S. Senate (2009) and co-author, with Bruce I. Oppenheimer, of Sizing Up

the Senate: The Unequal Consequences of Equal Representation (1999). Her articles have

appeared in the American Political Science Review, Journal of Politics, Legislative Studies

Quarterly, and American Journal of Political Science, among others.

Eric Schickler is Jeffrey&Ashley McDermott Professor of Political Science at the

University of California, Berkeley. He is the author of three books that have won the

Richard F. Fenno Jr. Prize for the best book on legislative politics: Disjointed Pluralism:

Institutional Innovation and the Development of the U.S. Congress (2001), Filibuster:

Obstruction and Lawmaking in the United States Senate (2006, with Gregory Wawro),

and Investigating the President: Congressional Checks on Presidential Power (2016, with

Douglas Kriner; also a winner of the Richard E. Neustadt Prize for the best book on

executive politics). His book Racial Realignment: The Transformation of American

Liberalism, 1932–1965 was the winner of the Woodrow Wilson Prize for the best book

on government, politics, or international affairs published in 2016, and is co-winner of

the J. David Greenstone Prize for the best book in history and politics from the previous

two calendar years. He is also the co-author of Partisan Hearts and Minds, which

was published in 2002.

James M. Curry is professor of political science at the University of Utah. He is coauthor

of The Limits of Party: Congress and Lawmaking in a Polarized Era (2020); author

of Legislating in the Dark: Information and Power in the House of Representatives (2015);

and winner of the Alan Rosenthal Prize, the E. E. Schattschneider Award, and the Carl

Albert Award. His research appears in the American Political Science Review, Journal of

Politics, Perspectives on Politics, and Legislative Studies Quarterly, among other outlets.

He received his Ph.D. in government and politics from the University of Maryland,

and he previously worked on Capitol Hill in the offices of Rep. Daniel Lipinski and the

House Appropriations Committee.

Table of Contents

Part I • In Search of the Two Congresses
Chapter 1 • The Two Congresses
Chapter 2 • Evolution of the Modern Congress
Part II • A Congress of Ambassadors
Chapter 3 • Going for It: Recruitment and Candidacy
Chapter 4 • Making It: The Electoral Game
Chapter 5 • Being There: Hill Styles and Home Styles
Part III • A Deliberative Assembly of One Nation
Chapter 6 • Leaders and Parties in Congress
Chapter 7 • Committees: Workshops of Congress
Chapter 8 • Congressional Rules and Procedures
Chapter 9 • Decision Making in Congress
Part IV • Policy Making and Change in the Two Congresses
Chapter 10 • Congress and the President
Chapter 11 • Congress and the Bureaucracy
Chapter 12 • Congress and the Courts
Chapter 13 • Congress and Organized Interests
Chapter 14 • Congress, Budgets, and Domestic Policy Making
Chapter 15 • Congress and National Security Policies
Part V • Conclusion
Chapter 16 • The Two Congresses and the American People
Appendix A: Party Control: Presidency, Senate, House, 1901–2023
Appendix B: Internships: Getting Experience on Capitol Hill
Suggested Readings
Notes
Index

Editorial Reviews

A broad reference on the legislative branch of the US government for general readers and college students taking courses on the legislative process or national policy making. First published in 1981 and here updated through July 1997 to analyze such current issues as the irrelevancy of campaign finance laws in the context of campaign fundraising and the politics of reform, new leaders and party organizations in the House and Senate, and comparisons between the 104th and 105th Congresses. Paper edition (unseen), $34.95. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews

A brilliant and comprehensive text which reflects the most significant and important information about the dynamics and trends in congressional politics.

Linda Trautman

I would say that it is the best introductory text on the market, that it provides highly detailed and comprehensive coverage of the institution’s rules and operation and on the way that members navigate these in pursuing their own goals and representing their particular districts.

David A. Bateman

Davidson, Oleszek, Lee, and Schickler have clearly taken great effort to ensure the book is as thorough as possible in its coverage of the legislative branch. There seems to be no question about Congress whose answer cannot be found in the pages of Congress and Its Members.”

Carrie Eaves

Of the many textbooks on the subject, Congress and Its Members is clearly the gold standard. It offers a comprehensive introduction to the people and structures of the American Congress in clear and readable prose. The addition of Eric Schickler adds yet another top-notch scholar to the accomplished team of authors.”

Amy E. Black

I am familiar with all the standard Congress textbooks on the market. The authors of this textbook are in my estimation among the best scholars and researchers in the field. They have produced a superior product.”

Scot Schraufnagel

I have used it throughout my teaching career because it is so complete and so easy for the students to understand.…It is simply the best one can get.”

Kenneth Cosgrove

Congress and Its Members is the gold standard for textbooks on the U.S. Congress. This is evident from its long life, the scholarly caliber of the authors, and the wide and timely coverage it brings to topics. "

Charles Finnochiaro

Congress and Its Members is very nearly perfect. I have found its structure to be enormously useful, and given how broad a goal it has, I think it works great. In particular, it is very well written and contains plenty of good examples that are essential to bringing such a peculiar institution as Congress to life. It is very clear the authors are experts on the topic, not just from an academic perspective but also from day-to-day real life experience.”

Elizabeth Palmer

[Congress and Its Members] is the gold standard to which all Congress texts should aspire. It is comprehensive, well written, and well organized....The recent addition of Lee and Schickler as co-authors brings to the book freshness of perspective and good solid knowledge of the way Congress works.”

Ross Baker

For me, Congress and Its Members provides the best combination of foundational knowledge about Congress, summarization of the current state of empirical research on Congress, and timely examples from current events. The organization, structure, and presentation of the material in the book is clear, logical, and very easy to follow.

James B. Cottrill

This is the finest Congress text on the market. It has an admirable mix of compelling narratives, anecdotes from congressional journalism, large theoretical questions overlooked by other texts, detailed information about procedure, and a concise and comprehensive catalog of empirical findings from the broader literature.

Darin De Witt

This is the finest Congress text on the market. It has an admirable mix of compelling narratives, anecdotes from congressional journalism, large theoretical questions overlooked by other texts, detailed information about procedure, and a concise and comprehensive catalog of empirical findings from the broader literature.

Darin DeWitt