POLS 102 1st EditionLecture 19Outline of Last Lecture1 Congress and Lawmaking Outline of Current Lecture1. Law funnels2. Partisan conflict reduces progress3. Ideological Polarization in Congress4. Declining productivity in Law MakingCurrent Lecture3. Sometimes Laws funnel certain benefits to specific interest groups. Laws are made to solve problems and to solve political benefitsC. In short the combination of the need to solve problems and the electoral incentive of elected officials to associate themselves with solving these problems leads Congress to enact laws. · They have Electoral incentive to solve real problems but interests groups lobby for benefits.· This is a big “pollyanish”· Sometimes/Often laws are transmogrified to serve organized interests.o E.g. Crop disaster insurance – the federal government policy insures crops for catastrophic events. Because it’s too much for farmers to pay for. · Nevertheless, most laws in fact address real problems.4. Yet, partisan conflict can reduce how well congress addresses these problems· Polarization is … ideological and policy disagreements about the role of the government and how the government should or should not solve problems (Binder 6-2) (pgs. 262-265 in the text)· Polarization is at an all time high – when this happens (disagreement between parties) then its hard to pass laws because the transaction costs are so high.These notes represent a detailed interpretation of the professor’s lecture. GradeBuddy is best used as a supplement to your own notes, not as a substitute.A. Polarization between partiesB. Polarization between the House and the SenateC. Polarization between the President and Congress Ideological Polarization in Congress· Data from McCarty, Poole, and Rosenthal (2006); Polarized America: the Dance of Ideology and Unequal Riches.· Use data on all congressional roll call votes (in history) to place members in congress in terms of how liberal/moderate/conservative they are (on “traditional” economic issues).Declining Productivity in Law Making· Data on unauthorized laws compiled from congressional budget office reports on unauthorized appropriations· Laws that were enacted that haven’t been renewedo Ex: Clean Air Act· Because fewer moderates are around = more polarization· The fewer moderates in congress the lower proportion of problems congress addresses through legislation (Binder 6-2)· The greater policy disagreement between the house and senate the lower proportion of problems congress addresses through
View Full Document
Unlocking...