Analyzing congress / Charles Stewart III.

Includes bibliographical references (pages [423]-432) and index.

1.. An (Unusual) Introduction to the Study of Congress -- The Politics of Lineland: Spatial Voting Theory in One Dimension -- The Politics of Flatland: The Multimensional Spatial Voting Model -- Two Unresolved Issues: Salience and Sophistication -- Spatial Voting Theory and the Study of Congress -- 2.. The Constitutional Origins of Congress -- The Failure of the First Congress of the United States -- What the Framers Wrought -- Spatial Analysis of Constitutional Features -- 3.. The History and Development of Congress -- The Experimental Era, 1789-1812 -- The Democratizing System, 1820-1860 -- The Civil War System, 1865-1896 -- The Textbook Era, 1912-1968 -- The Post-Reform Congress -- 4.. The Choices Candidates Make: Running for Congress -- Strategic Choice and Political Careers -- Progressive Ambition in the United States -- The Costs and Benefits of Running for Office -- Incumbents, Challengers, and Open Seat Candidates -- Conclusion: The Engine of Ambition in Congressional Elections -- 5.. The Choices Voters Make -- The Decision to Vote -- Deciding Whom to Support -- The Problem of Multiple Constituencies: Primaries versus the General Election -- 6.. Regulating Elections -- Running for Congress: The Basics -- Congressional Districting -- Campaign Finance -- 7.. Parties and Leaders in Congress -- The History of Political Parties in Congress -- Parties as Organizations -- On the Strength of Parties -- The Benefits of Strong Parties in Congress -- 8.. Committees in Congress -- The Committee System -- House-Senate Comparisons -- Theoretical Perspectives on Committees -- 9.. Doing It on the Floor: The Organization of Deliberation and What We Can Learn from It -- Why a Bill Does Not Become a Law -- How a Few Bills Become Law -- Roll Call Votes and What They Can Tell Us -- Appendix A.. Researching Congress -- Studying Congress Generally -- A Further Word About Congressional Documents -- Scholarly Research on Congress -- Other Electronic Sources for Studying Policy and Politics -- Appendix B.. The United States Constitution.