Legislating within the Darkish: Data and Energy within the Home of Representatives (Chicago Research in American Politics)

The 2009 monetary stimulus invoice ran to greater than 1,100 pages, but it wasn’t even given to Congress in its remaining type till 13 hours earlier than debate was set to start, and it was handed twenty-eight hours later. How are representatives anticipated to digest a lot data in such a short while.

The reply? They aren’t. With
Legislating within the Darkish, James M. Curry reveals that the supply of details about laws is a key device by which Congressional management workout routines energy. By means of a deft mixture of legislative evaluation, interviews, and participant statement, Curry exhibits how congresspersons—missing the time and assets to check payments deeply themselves—are compelled to depend on data and cues from their management. By controlling their rank-and-file’s entry to data, Congressional leaders are in a position to emphasize or bury specific objects, exploiting their data benefit to push the legislative agenda in instructions that they and their celebration choose.

Providing an sudden new mind-set about celebration energy and affect,
Legislating within the Darkish will spark substantial debate in political science.