Legislators, Leaders, and Lawmaking: The U.S. House of Representatives in the Postreform Era Hardcover - 1995

From the publisher

"Perhaps the leading scholar of the postreform Congress, Barbara Sinclair has produced a superb combination of description and analysis that captures the Democratic-dominated House of the 1980s and early 1990s. Weaving together principal-agent theory, solid behavioral techniques, and bushels of insider observations, Sinclair's depiction of the U.S. House in the O'Neill-Wright-Foley era should become the standard portrait of this institution."--Burdett Loomis, Congress & The Presidency

Recently plagued by gridlock, huge deficits, and deep policy differences between the president and congressional majorities, Congress has often been the target of relentless and bitter criticism. In this context, Sinclair asks, how has the House not only performed its legislative functions but also managed to enhance its role in the American political system? In Legislators, Leaders, and Lawmakers, Sinclair traces the emergence of a House majority party leadership that is highly active and deeply involved in multiple aspects of the legislative process, and yet one that leads by means of a participatory and inclusive style.

"This book is a most remarkable undertaking. It represents a scholarly research effort that has stretched over nearly two decades. It has involved the getting and maintaining an unusual level of access to the workings of Democratic party leadership and yet an ability to remain sufficiently distant to develop the broader perspective. The end result is clearly a most important--if not the most important--book on party leadership and Congress."--American Political Science Review

"Applying a perceptive and disciplined mind to an impressive knowledge of the topic, the author providesa detailed and instructive account of the relations between majority leaders and members in the postreform House, as well as valuable evidence and insights on such matters as the blending of substance and politics in decision making, current patterns of relationships with lobbyists, and the emerging public role of the Speaker."--Political Science Quarterly