No middle ground : how informal party organizations control nominations and polarize legislatures

Bibliographic Information

No middle ground : how informal party organizations control nominations and polarize legislatures

Seth E. Masket

University of Michigan Press, 2011, c2009

Available at  / 4 libraries

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Note

"First paperback edition 2011"--T. p. verso

Bibliography: p. 207-218

Includes index

Description and Table of Contents

Description

In this controversial book, Keith Krehbiel investigates and casts doubt upon a view of Congress held by many academics, journalists, and members of the lay public: that Congress is organized primarily to facilitate logrolling or ""gains from trade"" between legislators. The author puts forward an alternative ""informational"" theory that, unlike previous formal theories, highlights institutional needs and individual incentives for acquiring policy expertise. Using games with incomplete information, Krehbiel derives a set of unique and testable predictions about the organization of legislatures-including the composition of committees and the procedures under which legislation is considered. Krehbiel's creative illustrations and nonmathematical presentation of formal theories make this book accessible to a diverse set of readers. The political relevance and testability of games with incomplete information will be appreciated by game theorists and economists, while the book's findings make it essential reading for political scientists who study American politics, political institutions, or democratic legislatures.

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