
Contents
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Criteria for Evaluation Criteria for Evaluation
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Representativeness Representativeness
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Responsiveness Responsiveness
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Deliberativeness Deliberativeness
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Oversight Oversight
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An Evaluative Framework An Evaluative Framework
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The Two Dimensions of Congressional Organization: Structure and Resources The Two Dimensions of Congressional Organization: Structure and Resources
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Organizational Structure Organizational Structure
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Organizational Resource Allocation Organizational Resource Allocation
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Legislative Capacity Regimes Legislative Capacity Regimes
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Parochial Patronage Parochial Patronage
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Representativeness. Representativeness.
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Responsiveness. Responsiveness.
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Oversight. Oversight.
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adversarial clientelism adversarial clientelism
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Pluralist Adhocracy Pluralist Adhocracy
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Representativeness. Representativeness.
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Responsiveness. Responsiveness.
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Deliberativeness. Deliberativeness.
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Oversight. Oversight.
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Consensual Coalition Consensual Coalition
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Representativeness. Representativeness.
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Responsiveness. Responsiveness.
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Deliberativeness. Deliberativeness.
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Oversight. Oversight.
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Overall Scorecard Overall Scorecard
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How Congressional Capacity Regimes Change How Congressional Capacity Regimes Change
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The Cycle of Organizational Structure The Cycle of Organizational Structure
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The Cycle of Resource Allocation The Cycle of Resource Allocation
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Considering Linear as Well as Circular time Considering Linear as Well as Circular time
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Conclusion: Capacity for What? Conclusion: Capacity for What?
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2 Capacity for What? Legislative Capacity Regimes in Congress and the Possibilities for Reform
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Published:November 2020
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Abstract
This chapter provides a new analytical framework to assess congressional capacity. The framework is based on two institutional tradeoffs: organizational structure (centralization vs. decentralization) and resource allocation (simplicity vs. complexity). The interaction of these factors generates four ideal-type congressional capacity regimes: parochial patronage, adversarial clientelism, pluralist adhocracy, and consensual coalition. Driven by the reelection motivation, members of Congress respond to pent up political pressures by reorganizing institutions through cyclical changes to one or both of the dimensions. The outcome is a rare moment of institutional reform that changes the congressional capacity regime. The chapter uses the framework to briefly analyze historical examples of each capacity regime. The authors suggest the current adversarial and clientialistic Congress is poised to reorganize these institutions, though it is unpredictable when or which reforms will be adopted. The chapter does not offer normative reform prescriptions, but instead offers reformers a road map for thinking through the costs and benefits of adopting some arrangements over others.
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