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  2. The Floor in Congressional Life

The Floor in Congressional Life

Andrew J. Taylor 2012
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The House and the Senate floors are the only legislative forums where all members of the U.S. Congress participate and each has a vote. Andrew J. Taylor explores why floor power and floor rights in the House are more restricted than in the Senate and how these restrictions affect the legislative process. After tracing the historical development of floor rules, Taylor assesses how well they facilitate a democratic legislative process—that is, how well they facilitate deliberation, transparency, and widespread participation.

Taylor not only compares floor proceedings between the Senate and the House in recent decades; he also compares recent congressional proceedings with antebellum proceedings. This unique, systematic analysis reveals that the Senate is generally more democratic than the House—a somewhat surprising result, given that the House is usually considered the more representative and responsive of the two. Taylor concludes with recommendations for practical reforms designed to make floor debates more robust and foster representative democracy.

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Series
  • Legislative Politics and Policy Making
ISBN(s)
  • 978-0-472-02818-4 (ebook)
  • 978-0-472-03547-2 (paper)
  • 978-0-472-11809-0 (hardcover)
Subject
  • Political Science:Governance
  • Political Science:American Politics
Citable Link
  • Table of Contents

  • Stats

  • Cover
  • Title
  • Copyright
  • Contents
  • Preface and Acknowledgments
  • Introduction: The House and Senate Floors
  • PART I: FLOOR POWER AND RIGHTS
  • 1. The Floor and the Legislative Process: Theoretical Underpinnings
  • 2. Developing Procedural Character: A Quantitative Analytical History of House and Senate Floor Power and Rights
  • 3. The Restrictive House and Natural Senate: The Story of Two Floors
  • PART II: FLOOR PROCEEDINGS
  • 4. The Quality of Floor Proceedings I: Concepts, Measures, and Data
  • 5. The Quality of Floor Proceedings II: Analysis
  • Conclusion: A Future for the Floor
  • Notes
  • Bibliography
  • Index
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