Social Theory of Congress: Legislative Norms in the Twenty-First Century

Norms play a crucial role in the U.S. Congress, influencing cooperation, conflict, and cultural change among members. A new book, A Social Theory of Congress, provides a comprehensive review of previous scholarship and innovative theoretical framework to examine these norms. The findings suggest that norms are alive and well in an otherwise partisan Congress, but norms of conflict are on the rise. Norms of a changing culture are also affecting how members understand their role as lawmakers and in their interactions among one another. Together, these findings suggest that norms play an important role in the functioning of the legislature and as norms evolve so too does the performance of Congress in American democracy.

Format: Hardback
Length: 200 pages
Publication date: 09 April 2021
Publisher: Lexington Books

Norms play a crucial role in the U.S. Congress, particularly in the context of unprecedented partisanship and high-profile breaches of legislative norms in the modern Congress. Despite the importance of the topic, recent scholarship has not focused on congressional norms, leaving many relevant questions about the role of norms in the Congress of the twenty-first century unanswered. A Social Theory of Congress brings norms back into the study of Congress by defining what are legislative norms, identifying which norms currently exist in the U.S. Congress, and examining the effects that congressional norms have. This book provides a new research approach to study congressional norms through a comprehensive review of previous scholarship and a combination of interviews, survey research, and analysis of member behavior. The findings are striking. Norms of cooperation are surprisingly alive and well in an otherwise partisan Congress, but norms of conflict are on the rise. In addition, norms of a changing culture are affecting how members understand their role as lawmakers and in their interactions among one another. Together, these findings suggest that norms play an important role in the functioning of the legislature and as norms evolve so too does the performance of Congress in American democracy.

Weight: 490g
Dimension: 227 x 165 x 22 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781793601278