Details for Agenda Change and Party Cohesion in Congress

Faculty:	Lee, Frances
Department:	Government & Politics
Lab:
Campus Phone:	301-405-4339
Campus Address:	2126 B Tydings Hall
Email:	flee1@umd.edu
Project Details: Has a changing policy agenda contributed to the dramatic rise in partisanship in Congress? Political scientists have explained the rise in partisanship primarily as a result of external electoral forces or internal institutional changes. Electoral realignment has sorted liberal and conservative constituencies into different parties (Jacobson, Polsby, Rohde, Fiorina). Internal institutional factors include a revitalized party leadership, whip system, and other procedural changes (Roberts and Smith, Rohde, Sinclair). These electoral and institutional accounts neglect to consider whether the composition of the policy agenda has become more divisive. Are the issues before the Congress more likely to tap into the disputes between liberals and conservatives than the congressional agenda of the past?
Required Skills:	GVPT major with an interest in American politics
Recommended Skills:
Other Information: