Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Collaboration in Congress (Yes, It Exists!)
- 2 Social Exchange in Congress
- 3 Identifying Policy Collaboration
- 4 The Breadth and Substance of Collaborative Issues
- 5 The Most (and Least) Collaborative Members of Congress
- 6 The Interdependence of Collaborative Relationships
- 7 Legislative Benefits of Collaboration
- 8 The Future of Collaboration
- Appendix A Interview Notes
- Appendix B Model Specifications and Fit
- References
- Index
1 - Collaboration in Congress (Yes, It Exists!)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 October 2023
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- Figures
- Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Collaboration in Congress (Yes, It Exists!)
- 2 Social Exchange in Congress
- 3 Identifying Policy Collaboration
- 4 The Breadth and Substance of Collaborative Issues
- 5 The Most (and Least) Collaborative Members of Congress
- 6 The Interdependence of Collaborative Relationships
- 7 Legislative Benefits of Collaboration
- 8 The Future of Collaboration
- Appendix A Interview Notes
- Appendix B Model Specifications and Fit
- References
- Index
Summary
This chapter argues that two Congresses coexist in Washington, DC. The partisan Congress, which receives the bulk of public and media attention, is characterized by polarization, gridlock, and partisan conflict. But there is also the collaborative Congress, in which members work together to find common ground. Chapter 1 draws on examples from media accounts, interviews with congressional staff, and a new dataset of congressional communications to illustrate what the collaborative Congress looks like in practice and introduce the central question of the book: Why do members of Congress collaborate? The discussion of collaboration is situated in the broader literature on Congress to explain why we know so little about it and why it matters. Conflict draws attention, and Congress is rife with highly visible disagreements, leaving little room for awareness of the members who are crafting policy through negotiation, compromise, and bipartisanship. But if the partisan Congress explains why Congress is broken, the collaborative Congress can help us understand why it works, improving Congress's capacity to legislate and address pressing societal problems.
Keywords
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- Information
- The Collaborative CongressReaching Common Ground in a Polarized House, pp. 1 - 17Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2023