Oversight, Delegation, Bargaining, and Control by the U.S. Congress
Event hosted by the American Political Science AssociationView Event Details (apsanet.com)
This event will feature Daniel R. Pérez.
Oversight, Delegation, Bargaining, and Control by the U.S. Congress
Fri, October 1, 4:00 to 5:30pm PDT (7:00 to 8:30pm EDT)
Session Description:
Congress does not perform in isolation, especially in such a constrained environment like the U.S. Either as a principal or as an agent, Congressional activities vis-a-vis elected and non-elected bodies provide an always fruitful field for academic analyses. This panel discusses relevant patterns of appropriation and distribution of funds, as well as the dynamics of bureaucratic delegation and control.
Participants:
- Chair: Melinda Ritchie - The Ohio State University
- Discussant: David Karol - University of Maryland
- Presentations:
- Congressional Access and Influence in the Bureaucracy: Melinda Ritchie, The Ohio State University
- Congressional Bargaining and the Distribution of Grants: Leah Rosentiel, Vanderbilt University
- Interbranch Bargaining and Discretionary Appropriations: Ben Hammond, Princeton University
- The Institutionalization of the Congressional Review Act: Daniel R. Pérez, The George Washington University
Daniel's presentation will be based on his research with Bridget Dooling and Steven Balla.
Abstract: The Congressional Review Act (CRA), in which the United States Congress deploys expedited procedures to disapprove agency regulations, has long been viewed as a powerful but rarely exploited means of legislative oversight. This article examines legislative action—introductions, cosponsorship, and votes—on resolutions of disapproval by committees, political parties, and congressional majorities. This approach advances understanding of the CRA beyond extant emphasis on Republicans nullifying regulations in concert with co-partisan presidents immediately following transitions from Democratic administrations. A series of statistics and visualizations illustrates that both Republicans and Democrats, as well as committees of jurisdiction, have been pivotal in accounting for the persistence of action on resolutions during the twenty-five years in which the CRA has been in effect. These findings, derived from the complete set of resolutions considered between 1996 and 2020, provide evidence that the CRA has become an institutionalized instrument of oversight of regulatory policymaking.
The 117th APSA Annual Meeting & Exhibition will take place from September 30 - October 3, 2021 in Seattle, WA. The meeting seeks to, "address the latest scholarship in political science while exploring the 2021 theme, “Promoting Pluralism.”
View other participants in this year's event from the George Washington University.
Founded in 1903, the American Political Science Association (APSA) is the leading professional organization for the study of political science and serves more than 11,000 members in more than 100 countries. With a range of programs and services for individuals, departments, and institutions, APSA brings together political scientists from all fields of inquiry, regions, and occupational endeavors within and outside academe to deepen our understanding of politics, democracy, and citizenship throughout the world. The Association promotes a lively, diverse community of scholars, teachers, students, and practitioners who bring wide-ranging interests, methodologies, and perspectives to the analysis and conduct of government and politics.
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