Government at Work: Policymaking in the Twenty-First-Century Congress

(Hardback)

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In this edited volume, an array of scholars has examined recent policymaking efforts in selected areas of contemporary importance. Government at Work: Policymaking in the Twenty-First Century Congress provides chapter-length treatment to reveal the similarities and fundamentals of policy development while also illustrating the unique issues and obstacles found in each policy environment. This books scope spans the entire policymaking process, exposing the readers to the interaction among all major power centers, ranging from interest groups, media, courts, Congress, the president, and the federal bureaucracy. It shows the dynamic nature of American policymaking system. The approach employed in this book treats events, such as Congress passing a law or the Supreme Court announcing a ruling, as important steps in the policy process rather than as merely ends unto themselves. This volume focuses on major legislation passed by Congress since the turn of the century. It features one case study per chapter, demonstrating how issues rise to the national agenda, pass through the congressional labyrinth to become public policies, are implemented by the federal bureaucracy, receive feedback from affected elements of the society, and ultimately evolve over the years.

Reviews

With so much attention to congressional elections, representation, and process, Congress role in governing often does not get the attention it deserves. Ahuja and Dewhirst and their contributors provide a series of contemporary legislative policy case studies that address key questions about the struggle over policies and give the student a better sense of how process affects policy outcomes.The book is a refreshing contribution for instructing students about the conditions under which Congress manages to pass legislation and the trade-offs that are involved. -- Bruce I. Oppenheimer, Vanderbilt University

Author Bio

Sunil Ahuja is vice president for accreditation relations, institutional change, and research at the Higher Learning Commission. Robert E. Dewhirst is professor of political science at Northwest Missouri State University.