The new edition of this comprehensive, two-volume reference has been thoroughly revised and expanded by expert CQ Press writers-with years of experience covering Congress-to offer a complete institutional history of Congress along with updated insight and analysis on the 2008 and 2010 shifts in power of the U.S. Senate and House of Represenatives. The 35 chapters of Guide to Congress, Seventh Edition, are divided into eight subject areas that cover all aspects of the U.S. Congress: - Origins and Development of Congress, from the constitutional beginnings of the legislative branch to the histories of the House and Senate and their power shifts, eras of partisanship and unity, influential leaders, and working relationships with presidents. New coverage includes analysis of the tug-of-war between House Democrats and the George W. Bush administration on Iraq war withdrawal timetables, updates on criminal investigations of House members including William J. Jefferson of Louisiana and Charles Rangel of New York, and analysis of the Tea Party Movement and new Republican majority. - Powers of Congress, including powers to tax, spend, and borrow; to conduct foreign policy and investigations; to confirm and impeach; to regulate commerce; to amend the Constitution; and to select the president. Updated material includes analysis of the George W. Bush administration's use of immunity from questioning by congressional committees, analysis of the signing of the new START treaty with Russia-marking a cornerstone of U.S. relations with the country, coverage of the War on Terror-including the killing of bin Laden in a U.S. raid in Pakistan, and perspective on the negotiations to raise the federal debt ceiling in 2011. - Congressional Procedures, detailing the party and leadership structures; rules and the legislative process; the committee system, assignment, and procedures; and congressional staff. Revised coverage profiles the methods, styles, and legislative successes and defeats of House Speakers Pelosi and Boehner and Senate majority leader Reid. The Guide also analyzes the new hpyerpartisanship emerging in Congress and provides updates on congressional travel reforms and aide statistics and trends. - Pressures on Congress, including influence from constituents, political parties, the president, the Supreme Court, lobbyists, and the media. New material explores the use of social media to communicate with constituents, examines the role of the new Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, and analyzes the Obama administration's relationship with Congress. - Housing and Support, covering the U.S. Capitol, House and Senate office buildings, the Library of Congress, and organizations such as the Government Accountability Office and the Congressional Research Service. Updates are provided on new initiatives by the Library of Congress and reforms to the General Accounting Office. - Pay and Perquisites, including honoraria and allowances, franking and travel privileges, and other benefits. Updates include revised figures for congressional pay and benefits and analysis of efforts to control privately sponsored foreign travel. - Congress and the Electorate, covering the right to vote, the demographic composition of congress, the role of parties in elections, campaign financing, and redistricting. New information discusses elections statistics in recent elections, the impact of third parties, Tea Party gains, and the creation of "super PACs" and 527 groups. - Qualifications and conduct, detailing congressional ethics investigations and procedures for disciplining members. Updated coverage reviews ethics investigations, including the creation of the Office of Congressional Ethics. Specific investigations and outcomes are discussed, including the censure of Charles Rangel and disapproval of Joe Wilson's outburst during a speech by President Obama. Volume Two concludes with a selected bibliography and key reference materials: a list of all members of congress who have served since 1789; congressional election results; floor leaders and committee chairs; dates for sessions of congress; women, black, Asian, and Hispanic members; and many more. Boxed features, tables, and figures and a generous number of photos enhance the topical coverage of this definitive resource on Congress.
The study of governance has risen to prominence as a way of describing and explaining changes in our world. The SAGE Handbook of Governance presents an authoritative and innovative overview of this fascinating field, with particular emphasis on the significant new and emerging theoretical issues and policy innovations. The Handbook is divided into three parts. Part one explores the major theories influencing current thinking and shaping future research in the field of governance. Part two deals specifically with changing practices and policy innovations, including the changing role of the state, transnational and global governance, markets and networks, public management, and budgeting and finance. Part three explores the dilemmas of managing governance, including attempts to rethink democracy and citizenship as well as specific policy issues such as capacity building, regulation, and sustainable development. This volume is an excellent resource for advanced students and researchers in political science, economics, geography, sociology, and public administration. Mark Bevir is a Professor of Political Science at the University of California, Berkeley.
Outlines the budgeting process through a series of memos from a budget director to a freshly elected governor. This title covers the steps of budget preparation, from strategy to execution, explaining technical vocabulary, and discussing key topics including baseline budgeting, revenue forecasting, and gap-closing options.
Providing a comprehensive examination of the origins, development, and status of committees and committee systems in both the House and Senate, this edition carries on the book's tradition of comprehensive coverage, empirical richness, and theoretical relevance in its discussion of these essential and distinguishing features of our national legislature. While the second edition focused on the post-reform committee systems, addressed the shifts in the internal distribution of power, and hinted at the forces that had already begun to undermine the power of committees, this edition updates that analysis and looks at the reforms that evolvied under the Republicans. It offers complete coverage of the rules and structural changes to the House and Senate committee systems. It extends its discussion of committee power and influence in the context of the Contract with America, Republican reforms, and the inter-party warfare on Capitol Hill.
In their quest to improve government performance, managers must overcome a multitude of problems, from entrenched procedures and employee concerns to citizen complaints and political pressure for results. A key to fostering successful reform is a thorough understanding and management of a program's culture. Drawing on a wealth of detailed examples from federal, state, and local agencies, Anne Khademian shows that cultural roots not only determine the way work is performed, but also dictate the ultimate success of reform efforts.
This one-volume desk reference provides quick answers to the most frequently asked questions about all aspects of U.S. government, including elections, Congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court. Includes many new questions such as: '''''' What was the Teapot Dome scandal? '' What are the requirements for being a senator? '' How did the two-party system develop? '' What was the largest presidential landslide? '' ''''Cross-references, a bibliography, and an index aid research. ''''''
This volume examines the nature and effects of the separation of the US executive and legislative branches, followed by a comparison of presidents and their relative advantages in working with Congress. The author treats specific developments in presidential-congressional relations by analyzing the experiences and styles of Lyndon B. Johnson, Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan, George Bush and Bill Clinton. A new expanded chapter on Clinton reviews the latest dramatic phases of Clinton's experiences with Congress and provides a basis for analyzing one of, arguably, the most interesting presidencies in recent times, and the workings of a separated system.
he Struggle for Control between Congress and the Executive
The editors synthesize ten case studies sponsored by the National Academy of Public Administration that relate stories of congressional intervention and suggest, in sum, a new theory of congressional-executive relations. Arguing that Congress cannot be dimissed as simply a troublesome meddler in agency programs or as an inattentive bystander in its oversight role, Gilmour and Halley draw from these case histories the surprising conclusion that Congress in facts acts regularly, with the executive branch, as a powerful co-manager of policy outlines and program details. Each case study is organized to examine the process and the results - for policy, for the institutions involved, for management, and for congressional-executive relations - when Congress intervenes in the administrative domain. Addressing specific issues in policy areas including transportation, environment, health, energy, defense and foreign affairs, a team of scholars and professionals explores these illustrative cases within a common framework that allows for identification and comparison of cross-case patterns.
ISBN-13: 9781566430043
(Paperback)
Publisher: SAGE PUBLICATIONS Imprint: CHATHAM HOUSE PUBLISHERS INC.,U.S.
From Legislation to Litigation in Tobacco Politics
In recent years, tobacco politics has been a multi-layered issue fraught with significant legal, commercial, and public policy implications. From the outset, Martha A. Derthick's Up in Smoke took a nuanced look at tobacco politics in a new era of "adversarial legalism" and the consequences, both intended and unintended, of the MSA (Master Settlement Agreement). Now, with a brand new 3rd edition, the book returns to "ordinary politics" and the passage of the Family Smoking Prevention and Tobacco Control Act which gave the FDA broad authority to regulate both the manufacture and marketing of tobacco products. Derthick shows our political institutions working as they should, even if slowly, with partisanship and interest group activity playing their part in putting restraints on cigarette smoking.
