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Congress and Its Members
Eighteenth Edition
- Roger H. Davidson - University of Maryland, USA
- Walter J. Oleszek - Congressional Research Service , American University Washington
- Frances E. Lee - Princeton University, USA
- Eric Schickler - University of California-Berkeley, USA
- James M. Curry - University of Utah
September 2021 | 656 pages | CQ Press
The Gold Standard for Congress Courses for Over Thirty Years
Congress and Its Members 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 highly anticipated Eighteenth Edition considers the 2020 elections, the final years of the Trump administration, and first 100 days of the Biden Administration while discussing the agenda of the new Congress, White House–Capitol Hill relations, party and committee leadership changes, judicial appointments, and partisan polarization, in addition to covering changes to budgeting, campaign finance, lobbying, public attitudes about Congress, reapportionment, rules, and procedures. Always balancing great scholarship with currency, this bestseller features lively case material along with relevant data, charts, exhibits, maps, and photos.
New and updated material for the 18th edition includes:
Congress and Its Members 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 highly anticipated Eighteenth Edition considers the 2020 elections, the final years of the Trump administration, and first 100 days of the Biden Administration while discussing the agenda of the new Congress, White House–Capitol Hill relations, party and committee leadership changes, judicial appointments, and partisan polarization, in addition to covering changes to budgeting, campaign finance, lobbying, public attitudes about Congress, reapportionment, rules, and procedures. Always balancing great scholarship with currency, this bestseller features lively case material along with relevant data, charts, exhibits, maps, and photos.
New and updated material for the 18th edition includes:
- Analysis of the 2020 congressional elections, including increased nationalization, regional shifts, and member turnover
- Data on the diversity of the new Congress in terms of race, ethnicity, gender, and professional background
- Explanation of recent Supreme Court rulings on partisan gerrymandering
- Overview of the post-2020 census reapportionment of House seats and prospects for partisan gerrymandering
- Effects of the 2020 coronavirus pandemic on congressional campaigns, election administration, congressional rules and procedures, lobbying, and federal budget politics.
- The post-2020 politics of organizing a 50-50 Senate and prospects of Senate filibuster reform
- Congress’s return to earmarks and other adjustments to congressional rules and procedures
- The Biden administration’s approach to trade and diplomacy and its effects on congressional politics
- Coverage of the January 6, 2021 attack on the Capitol and what it says about Congress's relationship with the public and its role in American democracy
- Updated data on public opinion of Congress and Congress's productivity as a lawmaking institution
- A new concluding chapter reflecting on Congress’s institutional strengths and weaknesses
- Fresh examples and illustrations in every chapter relating concepts to recent events and contemporary members
Tables, Figures, and Boxes
Preface
About the Authors
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
Supplements
Very thorough text. Works well for students.
History and Political Science Dept, Belhaven University
August 29, 2023
The students enjoyed the book and it compliments my lectures.
Political Science Dept, Central Michigan University
January 19, 2022