Constitutional Reform of National Legislatures

Constitutional Reform of National Legislatures PDF Author: Richard Albert
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1788978641
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book

Book Description
Despite the importance of second chambers to the success of constitutional democracies around the world, today many fundamental questions about bicameralism remain understudied and undertheorized. What makes bicameral reform so difficult? Why choose bicameralism over unicameralism? What are the constitutional values of bicameralism? This innovative book addresses these questions and many more from comparative, doctrinal, empirical, historical and theoretical perspectives.

Constitutional Reform of National Legislatures

Constitutional Reform of National Legislatures PDF Author: Richard Albert
Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing
ISBN: 1788978641
Category : Law
Languages : en
Pages : 320

Get Book

Book Description
Despite the importance of second chambers to the success of constitutional democracies around the world, today many fundamental questions about bicameralism remain understudied and undertheorized. What makes bicameral reform so difficult? Why choose bicameralism over unicameralism? What are the constitutional values of bicameralism? This innovative book addresses these questions and many more from comparative, doctrinal, empirical, historical and theoretical perspectives.

Reforming Legislatures

Reforming Legislatures PDF Author: Peverill Squire
Publisher: University of Missouri Press
ISBN: 0826275036
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 456

Get Book

Book Description
Legislatures are ubiquitous in the American political experience. First created in Virginia in 1619, they have existed continuously ever since. Indeed, they were established in even the most unlikely of places, notably in sparsely populated frontier settlements, and functioned as the focal point of every governing system devised. Despite the ubiquity of state legislatures, we know remarkably little about how Americans have viewed them as organizations, in terms of their structures, rules, and procedures. But with the rise of modern public opinion surveys in the twentieth century, we now have extensive data on how Americans have gauged legislative performance throughout the many years. That said, the responses to the questions pollsters typically pose reflect partisanship, policy, and personality. Generally, respondents respond favorably to legislatures controlled by their own political party and those in power during good economic times. Incumbent lawmakers get ratings boosts from having personalities, “home styles” that mesh with those of their constituents. These relationships are important indicators of people’s thoughts regarding the current performance of their legislatures and legislators, but they tell us nothing about attitudes toward the institution and its organizational characteristics. This study offers a unique perspective on what American voters have historically thought about legislatures as organizations and legislators as representatives. Rather than focusing on responses to surveys that ask respondents how they rate the current performance of lawmakers and legislatures, this study leverages the most significant difference between national and state politics: the existence of ballot propositions in the latter. At the national level Americans have never had any say over Congress’s structure, rules, or procedures. In contrast, at the state level they have had ample opportunities over the course of more than two centuries to shape their state legislatures. The data examined here look at how people have voted on more than 1,500 state ballot propositions targeting a wide array of legislative organizational and parliamentary features. By linking the votes on these measures with the public debates preceding them, this study documents not only how American viewed various aspects of their legislatures, but also whether their opinions held constant or shifted over time. The findings reported paint a more nuanced picture of Americans’ attitudes toward legislatures than the prevailing one derived from survey research. When presented with legislative reform measures on which concrete choices were offered and decisions on them had to be made, the analyses presented here reveal that, counter to the conventional wisdom that people loved their representatives but hated the legislature, voters usually took charitable positions toward the institution while harboring skeptical attitudes about lawmakers’ motives and behaviors.

Reforming Senates

Reforming Senates PDF Author: Nikolaj Bijleveld
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000706672
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 252

Get Book

Book Description
This new study of senates in small powers across the North Atlantic shows that the establishment and the reform of these upper legislative houses have followed remarkably parallel trajectories. Senate reforms emerged in the wake of deep political crises within the North Atlantic world and were influenced by the comparatively weak positions of small powers. Reformers responded to crises and constantly looked beyond borders and oceans for inspiration to keep their senates relevant. The Open Access version of this book, available at http://www.taylorfrancis.com/books/e/9780429323119, has been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

The Reform of State Legislatures and the Changing Character of Representation

The Reform of State Legislatures and the Changing Character of Representation PDF Author: Eugene W. Hickok
Publisher: University Press of America
ISBN:
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 192

Get Book

Book Description
To find more information on Rowman & Littlefield titles, please visit us at www.rowmanlittlefield.com.

Term Limits and the Dismantling of State Legislative Professionalism

Term Limits and the Dismantling of State Legislative Professionalism PDF Author: Thad Kousser
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
ISBN: 9780521548731
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 292

Get Book

Book Description
This book examines how legislature rules affect the behavior of its members and policies.

State Legislatures Today

State Legislatures Today PDF Author: Peverill Squire
Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield
ISBN: 1538123371
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 280

Get Book

Book Description
A concise and provocative introduction to state legislative politics, State Legislatures Today is designed as a supplement for state and local government courses and upper level courses on legislative politics.

The Legislative Branch

The Legislative Branch PDF Author: Paul J. Quirk
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0199883858
Category : Political Science
Languages : en
Pages : 618

Get Book

Book Description
The checks and balances provided by the three branches of federal government are essential to nurturing and maintaining American democracy. With the guidance of coeditors Paul J. Quirk and Sarah A. Binder, this collection of essays examines the role of the Legislature in American democracy and the dynamic between the other branches of government, and discusses possible measures for reform. The volume addresses questions such as: How does Congress serve the values of democracy and American constitutional principles? Which conceptions of those values does it implement, and which does it overlook or fail to realize? What are Congress's strengths and weaknesses in performing the tasks of democratic governance? What reforms, if any, are necessary to ensure the health and success of Congress as an institution of democracy in the future?

Select List of References on State Legislatures (with Special Reference to Their Failure and Reform) ...

Select List of References on State Legislatures (with Special Reference to Their Failure and Reform) ... PDF Author: Library of Congress. Division of Bibliography
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Legislative bodies
Languages : en
Pages : 32

Get Book

Book Description


Legislative Manual of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives

Legislative Manual of the Committee on Government Reform and Oversight, House of Representatives PDF Author: United States. Congress. House. Committee on Government Reform and Oversight
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Government publications
Languages : en
Pages : 112

Get Book

Book Description


Senates

Senates PDF Author: Samuel C. Patterson
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 384

Get Book

Book Description
Examines the upper houses of the world's parliaments within their own political systems, capturing their development over time and characterizing their relations with the lower house, the government of the day, and extraparliamentary political parties. Begins with the US Senate, then analyzes the German, Australian, and Canadian federal senates. Remaining chapters look at senatorial segments of parliamentary life in the unitary systems of France, Britain, Italy, Spain, and Poland. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR