State Legislatures Today

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Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1538123371
Total Pages : 280 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (381 download)

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Book Synopsis State Legislatures Today by : Peverill Squire

Download or read book State Legislatures Today written by Peverill Squire and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2019-07-19 with total page 280 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A concise and provocative introduction to state legislative politics, State Legislatures Today is designed as a supplement for state and local government courses and upper level courses on legislative politics.

Experiencing Politics

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Publisher : Univ of California Press
ISBN 13 : 9780520925168
Total Pages : 364 pages
Book Rating : 4.9/5 (251 download)

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Book Synopsis Experiencing Politics by : John E. McDonough

Download or read book Experiencing Politics written by John E. McDonough and published by Univ of California Press. This book was released on 2000-11-22 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: John E. McDonough affords a rare glimpse into the practice of state politics in this insider's account of the fascinating interface between political science and real-life politics. A member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for thirteen years and a skilled storyteller, McDonough eloquently weaves together stories of politics and policy with engaging theoretical models in a way that illuminates both the theory and the practice. By providing a link between scholarship and the world of experience, he communicates much about the essence of representative democracy. In the process, he demonstrates how politics extend beyond the public sphere into many aspects of life involving diverse values and interests. McDonough describes the nature of conflict, the role of interests, agenda setting, the nature and pace of change, the use of language, and more. Accessible, insightful, and original, his stories touch on a broad range of issues—including health care politics, campaigns, and elections; a street gang called the X-men; the death penalty; campaign finance reform, and tenants versus landlords. To the author, politics is everywhere and political dynamics are universal. While the setting for this book is one legislature, the lessons and insights are intended for everyone.

State Legislatures Today

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Publisher : Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN 13 : 1442247487
Total Pages : 249 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (422 download)

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Book Synopsis State Legislatures Today by : Peverill Squire

Download or read book State Legislatures Today written by Peverill Squire and published by Rowman & Littlefield. This book was released on 2015-03-26 with total page 249 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A concise and provocative introduction to State Legislative Politics, State Legislatures Today is designed as a supplement for state and local government courses and upper level courses on legislative politics. The book examines state legislatures and state lawmakers, putting them in historical context, showing how they have evolved over the years, and differentiating them from Congress. It covers state legislative elections (including the impact of redistricting, candidate recruitment, etc.), the changing job description of state legislators, legislatures as organizations, the process by which legislation gets produced, and the influences upon legislators. Many things have happened in the five years since the popular first edition. Significant developments addressed in the new edition include: 1. The rise of the Tea Party Movement, which has contributed to the stalemate in Congress and greatly influenced legislative politics in many states. Indeed, the Tea Party’s greatest impact has been in state capitals, not in Washington, DC. 2. A marked increase in one-party government, resulting in greatest number of states with one-party government in at least fifty years. One-party government, of course, allows for dramatic policy shifts. Thus, governors and state legislatures have been able to make significant policy decisions while Congress and the President have been gridlocked. 3. A dramatic increase in the use of recall elections (Arizona, Michigan and Wisconsin) and referenda to challenge legislative policy decisions (Idaho, South Dakota, Ohio, and Washington), signaling a growing frustration with legislative policies in some states. Recall elections and referenda only occur at the state level. 4. Changes in term limits and budgeting laws in California directly affecting the work of the legislature in the largest state in the Union. 5. Highly visible state legislative policies on hot-button issues such as gun control, taxation, public employee benefits, teachers’ unions, taxation, abortion, immigration and education reform. The conflicts generated by these debates have produced incidents that captured national attention, perhaps most notably when Democrats in the Wisconsin Senate fled to Illinois to break quorum and prevent the Republicans from passing a measure limiting public unions in the state. 6. Efforts to profoundly alter the structure of some state legislatures, such as a measure to substantially reduce the number of legislative seats in Pennsylvania and a proposed initiative to radically increase the number of seats in California. 7. The culmination of a redistricting cycle in 2012 which alters the nature of many legislative districts and the course of politics and policy over the next decade. 8. A rare and historic “wave election” in 2010 that saw the Republican Party gain more than 700 seats in state legislatures.

Congressional Record

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 1462 pages
Book Rating : 4.A/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis Congressional Record by : United States. Congress

Download or read book Congressional Record written by United States. Congress and published by . This book was released on 1972 with total page 1462 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Congressional Record is the official record of the proceedings and debates of the United States Congress. It is published daily when Congress is in session. The Congressional Record began publication in 1873. Debates for sessions prior to 1873 are recorded in The Debates and Proceedings in the Congress of the United States (1789-1824), the Register of Debates in Congress (1824-1837), and the Congressional Globe (1833-1873)

Legislative Style

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Publisher : University of Chicago Press
ISBN 13 : 022651031X
Total Pages : 271 pages
Book Rating : 4.2/5 (265 download)

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Book Synopsis Legislative Style by : William Bernhard

Download or read book Legislative Style written by William Bernhard and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2018-02-01 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Once elected, members of Congress face difficult decisions about how to allocate their time and effort. On which issues should they focus? What is the right balance between working in one’s district and on Capitol Hill? How much should they engage with the media to cultivate a national reputation? William Bernhard and Tracy Sulkin argue that these decisions and others define a “legislative style” that aligns with a legislator’s ambitions, experiences, and personal inclinations, as well as any significant electoral and institutional constraints. Bernhard and Sulkin have developed a systematic approach for looking at legislative style through a variety of criteria, including the number of the bills passed, number of speeches given, amount of money raised, and the percentage of time a legislator voted in line with his or her party. Applying this to ten congresses, representing twenty years of congressional data, from 1989 to 2009, they reveal that legislators’ activity falls within five predictable styles. These styles remain relatively consistent throughout legislators’ time in office, though a legislator’s style can change as career goals evolve, as well as with changes to individual or larger political interests, as in redistricting or a majority shift. Offering insight into a number of enduring questions in legislative politics, Legislative Style is a rich and nuanced account of legislators’ activity on Capitol Hill.

Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 0521761522
Total Pages : 261 pages
Book Rating : 4.5/5 (217 download)

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Book Synopsis Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress by : Craig Volden

Download or read book Legislative Effectiveness in the United States Congress written by Craig Volden and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2014-10-27 with total page 261 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book explores why some members of Congress are more effective than others at navigating the legislative process and what this means for how Congress is organized and what policies it produces. Craig Volden and Alan E. Wiseman develop a new metric of individual legislator effectiveness (the Legislative Effectiveness Score) that will be of interest to scholars, voters, and politicians alike. They use these scores to study party influence in Congress, the successes or failures of women and African Americans in Congress, policy gridlock, and the specific strategies that lawmakers employ to advance their agendas.

Representing America

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Publisher : Lexington Books
ISBN 13 : 9780739117279
Total Pages : 136 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (172 download)

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Book Synopsis Representing America by : Rebekah Herrick

Download or read book Representing America written by Rebekah Herrick and published by Lexington Books. This book was released on 2007 with total page 136 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: During the 1990s, many members of the House of Representatives could be characterized as citizen legislators - they either voluntarily limited their term in office or they had no prior political experience. Representing America compares the representational styles of these legislators with the professional legislators, who make a career out of being a legislator, elected at the time.

Politicians, Legislation, and the Economy

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Publisher : Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN 13 : 9400981538
Total Pages : 124 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (9 download)

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Book Synopsis Politicians, Legislation, and the Economy by : R.E. McCormick

Download or read book Politicians, Legislation, and the Economy written by R.E. McCormick and published by Springer Science & Business Media. This book was released on 2012-12-06 with total page 124 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

First Person Political

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Publisher : NYU Press
ISBN 13 : 081476925X
Total Pages : 216 pages
Book Rating : 4.8/5 (147 download)

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Book Synopsis First Person Political by : Grant Reeher

Download or read book First Person Political written by Grant Reeher and published by NYU Press. This book was released on 2006-01-30 with total page 216 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In First Person Political, Grant Reeher combats the public's alienation from and distrust of politicians by putting a personal face on everyday political life. Through moving personal interviews, Reeher allows legislators to tell their own stories about how and why they came to politics, the experience of serving in their state legislature, their decisions to stay or leave, and the many trials they face in the name of public service. Reeher contends that these politicians do have the public good in mind and often suffer great personal losses for their chance to represent the people and fight for what they think is right. His research also shows that those who choose to run for office often come from a background of deep community involvement. Reeher argues against public cynicism about our elected officials, and his profiles stir not only our praise and respect for these legislators, but also a greater belief in the democratic process itself. The excerpts from his interviews provide a rarely afforded intimate look at these politicians. What emerges from these stories is a humane and believable portrait of public servants acting on behalf of the public good, a portrait that should provide some comfort, perhaps even inspiration, for citizens concerned about the state of American democracy.

More Women Can Run

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0199361169
Total Pages : 173 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (993 download)

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Book Synopsis More Women Can Run by : Susan J. Carroll

Download or read book More Women Can Run written by Susan J. Carroll and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2013-08-02 with total page 173 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Women remain dramatically underrepresented in elective office, including in entry-level political offices. While they enjoy the freedom to stand for office and therefore have an equal legal footing with men, this persistent gender imbalance raises pressing questions about democratic legitimacy, the inclusivity of American politics, and the quality of political representation. The reasons for women's underrepresentation remain the subject of much debate. One explanation--that the United States lacks sufficient openings for political newcomers--has become less compelling in recent years, as states that have adopted term limits have not seen the expected gains in women's office holding. Other accounts about candidate scarcity, gender inequalities in society, and the lingering effects of gendered socialization have some merit; however, these accounts still fail to explain the relatively low numbers. Drawing upon original surveys conducted in 1981 and 2008 by the Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP) of women state legislators across all fifty states, and follow-up interviews after the 2008 survey, the authors find that gender differences in pathways to the legislatures, first evident in 1981, have been surprisingly persistent over time. They find that, while the ambition framework better explains men's decisions to run for office, a relationally embedded model of candidate emergence better captures women's decision-making, with women's decisions more often influenced by the encouragement and support of parties, organizations, and family members. By rethinking the nature of women's representation, this study calls for a reorientation of academic research on women's election to office and provides insight into new strategies for political practitioners concerned about women's political equality.

The State Legislature

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Publisher :
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 168 pages
Book Rating : 4.3/5 (91 download)

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Book Synopsis The State Legislature by : Malcolm E. Jewell

Download or read book The State Legislature written by Malcolm E. Jewell and published by . This book was released on 1969 with total page 168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

The Oxford Handbook of Political Networks

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Publisher : Oxford University Press
ISBN 13 : 0190228210
Total Pages : 1011 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (92 download)

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Book Synopsis The Oxford Handbook of Political Networks by : Jennifer Nicoll Victor

Download or read book The Oxford Handbook of Political Networks written by Jennifer Nicoll Victor and published by Oxford University Press. This book was released on 2018 with total page 1011 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Politics is intuitively about relationships, but until recently the network perspective has not been a dominant part of the methodological paradigm that political scientists use to study politics. This volume is a foundational statement about networks in the study of politics.

American Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910

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Publisher : Greenwood
ISBN 13 :
Total Pages : 1168 pages
Book Rating : 4.F/5 ( download)

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Book Synopsis American Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910 by : Charles F. Ritter

Download or read book American Legislative Leaders, 1850-1910 written by Charles F. Ritter and published by Greenwood. This book was released on 1989-09-26 with total page 1168 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It was a time of civil war and economic shift from an agrarian to an industrial society for the 1,390 speakers of state houses of representatives profiled in this unique biographical dictionary. The political climate and characteristics of the politicians as a group are surveyed in introductory material. This is followed by biographical entries which include a list of sources. The cumulated bibliography, arranged by state, is valuable. . . . There is no other such directory. Library Journal On the whole it is a useful compilation, providing a starting point for research into the lives of a cross-section of legislators in this period. . . . A necessary purchase for research libraries; recommended to all academic libraries with strong collections in state history. Choice During the years 1850-1910, the United States evolved from an agrarian to an industrial political economy. By the end of the century, industrialization has shifted the entire political system toward national government power, beginning a trend that continues today. An understanding of the importance of state government and, in particular, of the lower houses of the legislatures at this time is crucial to an understanding of how American politics was transformed in the second half of the nineteenth century. This study compares the speakers of these influential nineteenth-century American political bodies and focuses on the legislative issues of the period. The largest collection of biographical data of its kind to date, the book profiles the 1,390 speakers in the period from 1850 to 1910. The collective career analysis of the individuals covered provides an unprecedented exploration of the socioeconomic issues, the governmental processes, and the political behavior of the times to allow a more thorough understanding of the transition from an agrarian to an industrial state. This comprehensive study of state political power will provide fresh insight into the American legislative system of the latter half of the nineteenth century and will be of special value to scholars of American political history and political science.

Devolution and Black State Legislators

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Publisher : State University of New York Press
ISBN 13 : 0791481921
Total Pages : 320 pages
Book Rating : 4.7/5 (914 download)

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Book Synopsis Devolution and Black State Legislators by : Tyson King-Meadows

Download or read book Devolution and Black State Legislators written by Tyson King-Meadows and published by State University of New York Press. This book was released on 2012-02-01 with total page 320 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Devolution and Black State Legislators examines whether black state legislators can produce qualitative gains in the substantive representation of black interests. Once a battle cry by southern conservatives, "new federalism" has shifted power from Washington to the respective state governments and, ironically, has done so as black state legislators grow in number. Tyson King-Meadows and Thomas F. Schaller look at the debates surrounding black political incorporation, the tradeoffs between substantive and descriptive representation, racial redistricting, and the impact of black legislators on state budgetary politics. They situate contemporary constraints on black state elites as the union of macro- and micro-level forces, which allows for a reconsideration of how the idiosyncrasies of political, economic, and geographic culture converge with the internal dynamics of state legislative processes to produce particular environments. Interviews with black legislators provide valuable insights into how such idiosyncrasies may deprive institutional advancement—committee assignments, chairmanships, and party leadership positions—of the influence it once afforded.

Term Limits in State Legislatures

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Publisher : University of Michigan Press
ISBN 13 : 0472024108
Total Pages : 187 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (72 download)

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Book Synopsis Term Limits in State Legislatures by : John M. Carey

Download or read book Term Limits in State Legislatures written by John M. Carey and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2009-11-12 with total page 187 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It has been predicted that term limits in state legislatures--soon to be in effect in eighteen states--will first affect the composition of the legislatures, next the behavior of legislators, and finally legislatures as institutions. The studies in Term Limits in State Legislatures demonstrate that term limits have had considerably less effect on state legislatures than proponents predicted. The term-limit movement--designed to limit the maximum time a legislator can serve in office--swept through the states like wildfire in the first half of the 1990s. By November 2000, state legislators will have been "term limited out" in eleven states. This book is based on a survey of nearly 3,000 legislators from all fifty states along with intensive interviews with twenty-two legislative leaders in four term-limited states. The data were collected as term limits were just beginning to take effect in order to capture anticipatory effects of the reform, which set in as soon as term limit laws were passed. In order to understand the effects of term limits on the broader electoral arena, the authors also examine data on advancement of legislators between houses of state legislatures and from the state legislatures to Congress. The results show that there are no systematic differences between term limit and non-term limit states in the composition of the legislature (e.g., professional backgrounds, demographics, ideology). Yet with respect to legislative behavior, term limits decrease the time legislators devote to securing pork and heighten the priority they place on the needs of the state and on the demands of conscience relative to district interests. At the same time, with respect to the legislature as an institution, term limits appear to be redistributing power away from majority party leaders and toward governors and possibly legislative staffers. This book will be of interest both to political scientists, policymakers, and activists involved in state politics. John M. Carey is Assistant Professor of Political Science, Washington University in St. Louis. Richard G. Niemi is Professor of Political Science, University of Rochester. Lynda W. Powell is Professor of Political Science, University of Rochester.

Legislative Voting and Accountability

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Publisher : Cambridge University Press
ISBN 13 : 1139476793
Total Pages : 217 pages
Book Rating : 4.1/5 (394 download)

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Book Synopsis Legislative Voting and Accountability by : John M. Carey

Download or read book Legislative Voting and Accountability written by John M. Carey and published by Cambridge University Press. This book was released on 2008-12-15 with total page 217 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Legislatures are the core representative institutions in modern democracies. Citizens want legislatures to be decisive, and they want accountability, but they are frequently disillusioned with the representation legislators deliver. Political parties can provide decisiveness in legislatures, and they may provide collective accountability, but citizens and political reformers frequently demand another type of accountability from legislators – at the individual level. Can legislatures provide both kinds of accountability? This book considers what collective and individual accountability require and provides the most extensive cross-national analysis of legislative voting undertaken to date. It illustrates the balance between individualistic and collective representation in democracies, and how party unity in legislative voting shapes that balance. In addition to quantitative analysis of voting patterns, the book draws on extensive field and archival research to provide an extensive assessment of legislative transparency throughout the Americas.

Implementing Term Limits

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Publisher : University of Michigan Press
ISBN 13 : 0472122738
Total Pages : 357 pages
Book Rating : 4.4/5 (721 download)

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Book Synopsis Implementing Term Limits by : Marjorie Ellen Sarbaugh-Thompson

Download or read book Implementing Term Limits written by Marjorie Ellen Sarbaugh-Thompson and published by University of Michigan Press. This book was released on 2017-03-02 with total page 357 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Today, 70 percent of the American public supports reforms that would limit the number of terms a state legislator may serve, and the advocacy group U.S. Term Limits promotes this reform at all levels of government. But are advocates correct that term limits ensure citizens dedicated to the common good—rather than self-serving career politicians—run government? Or does the enforced high rate of turnover undermine the legislature’s ability to function? In Implementing Term Limits, Marjorie Sarbaugh-Thompson and Lyke Thompson bring thirteen years of intensive research and 460 interviews to assess changes since Michigan’s implementation of term limits in 1993 and explore their implications. Paying special attention to term limits’ institutional effects, they also consider legislative representation, political accountability, and the role of the bureaucracy and interest groups in state legislatures. Their thorough study suggests that legislators are less accessible to officials and that there is a larger gap between legislators and their voters. Moreover, legislators become much more politically ambitious after term limits and spend more time on political activities. The selection of top chamber leaders is complicated by newcomers’ lack of knowledge about and experience working with the leaders they elect before being sworn in. As a result, term limits in Michigan fail to deliver on many of the “good government” promises that appeal to citizens. Implementing Term Limits makes a unique and valuable contribution to the debate over the best means by which to obtain truly democratic institutions.