Polsc 330resp8 - Lecture notes 9 PDF

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notes on Congress, disjointed pluralism, building a new american state, house of representatives ...

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Tasnia Ahmed Polsc 330 Professor Rosa Squillacote Response #8 Congress belongs to the legislative branch of government, which holds the House of Representatives and the Senate. It has long been argued that Congress holds a lot of power and influence, comparing to the executive. James Madison even stated that a legislative tyranny could be just as detrimental as a tyrannical president in the Federalist Papers. Throughout history, individuals who took notes of the actions laid out by Congress developed theories to claim how and why Congress changes. In Disjointed Pluralism, Eric Schickler examines how congressional institutions were versatile when it came to change of environmental conditions but a continuing source of dissatisfaction for others. He argues that the prevailing theories are neither right nor wrong after studying the congressional rules, committee structures and congressional leaderships. In Building a New American State, The Expansion of National Administrative Capacities, Stephen Skowronek discusses how industrialization led to political calls that structured a powerful national administrative which led to the building of an American “state.” After a European ruling class, society was basically “governing itself.” However changes such as the end of Reconstruction and rise of industrialization led to complexities in society and class conflicts. Building a “state” meant addressing problems such as reforming a civil administration, restructuring the army, and rule for establishing railroads. These expansions were responses to industrialization because the government lacked the methods to resolve these conflicts.

The structure of the House of Representatives (HOR) holds a speaker, who is elected by the members, majority leader, majority whip, minority leader, and minority whip. There are 435 members who create decisions and pass federal laws, holding a term of two years because of the growth in population. They can also remove federal officials from office and start revenue bills. The Senate has 100 members with a length of term of six years. They share control of creating laws with HOR but also serve as a check for the elected HOR. The Senate holds the power to review proposed legislations and treaties, and oversee the executive branch. In the first chapter we learn how Schickler uses the term “disjointed” to define the “dynamics of institutional development that comes from communications and tensions among coalitions that compete and advocate different interests. It suggests how the pluralistic approach isn’t fully satisfying. By using the term “pluralism” he means how advancing these collective interests led to change. Amongst these “collective interests” are “political parties, policy interests and re-election interests.” According to Schickler there are five kinds of collective interests that prompt to the design of the institutions. Those are members of reelection, and the power and capacity that unites them. It also has to do with conflicts caused fro members’ interest in access to institutional bases of power. Majority and minority party members are in opposition to each other and the fifth is the connection between institutions and policies that is fixed in those interests....