Description: Congress is frequently said to be 'broken', 'dysfunctional', and 'weak', but how does the contemporary Congress really work? Does Congress have the capacity to solve major policy problems? Can it check an aggrandizing executive, oversee a powerful Federal Reserve, and represent the American people? Can Congress cope with vast changes in the American political economy, including rising income inequality? Congress and Policy Making in the 21st Century takes a fresh look at the performance of Congress in the domestic arena, focusing on issues such as immigration, health care, and the repeal of 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'. With original contributions from leading scholars, this important volume examines how Congress tackles - and fails to tackle - key policy challenges in an era of growing social diversity and ideological polarization. Rich in analysis and illuminating detail, the book reveals the full complexity of the institution at work.
Brief description: Eric M. Patashnik is Professor of Public Policy and Politics and Director of the Center for Health Policy in the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He is also Non-Resident Senior Fellow at the Brookings Institution and an elected fellow of the National Academy of Public Administration. Patashnik is the author of several books including Putting Trust in the US Budget: Federal Trust Funds and the Politics of Commitment (Cambridge, 2000) and Reforms at Risk: What Happens after Major Policy Changes Are Enacted (2008), which won the Louis Brownlow Book Award for outstanding contribution to the literature on public administration.
Review Quotes: "[These] essays provide two essential contributions - an emphasis on the contemporary Congress and a focus on the part it plays in policy making. They break away from dated understandings, and they push the reader to imagine the products of the legislative process, not just the process alone."
Kenneth A. Shepsle, Markham Professor of Government, Harvard University