The Political Economy of Expertise: Information and Efficiency in American National Politics. By Kevin M. Esterling. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2004. 304p. $65.00 cloth, $24.95 paper.

Congress's use of expertise represents a paradox. The legislative branch spends hundreds of millions of dollars every year acquiring policy-relevant knowledge. Standing committees hire scores of experts and regularly ask outside specialists to testify. Entire research agencies have been created to generate expert assessments on complex issues. Making specialized knowledge available to legislators is justified as a necessary expense if they are to produce laws that will do a good job in fulfilling the nation's goals.