Backdoor lawmaking : evading obstacles in the US Congress / Melinda N. Ritchie.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Ritchie, Melinda N., author.

Series:

Oxford scholarship online

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

United States. Congress--Rules and practice.

United States.

United States. Congress.

Executive-legislative relations--United States.

Executive-legislative relations.

Administrative agencies--United States.

Administrative agencies.

Legislation--United States.

Legislation.

Government accountability--United States.

Government accountability.

Bureaucracy--United States.

Bureaucracy.

Parliamentary practice.

Physical Description:

xviii, 247 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Other Title:

Evading obstacles in the United States Congress

Place of Publication:

New York, NY : Oxford University Press, [2023]

Summary:

"Backdoor Lawmaking reveals how members of the US Congress use the federal bureaucracy as a backdoor for policymaking. Lawmakers pressure agencies to make policy changes in order to avoid obstacles in the legislative process. The book uses records obtained under the Freedom of Information Act in qualitative and quantitative analyses to show how members of Congress are incorporating agency regulations into a broader strategy of policymaking that spans branches of government and which lawmakers are most effective at using this approach. Lawmakers use agency regulations as a substitute for legislative action, pressure agencies to delay and block the implementation of law until new legislation is passed, and work with agencies to draft legislation. The bureaucracy also offers lawmakers a discreet way to represent controversial interests outside of the formal constraints of Congress. The book considers the implications of its findings for democratic accountability and representation and assesses the normative tradeoffs: Inter-branch policymaking allows members of Congress to evade accountability and to bypass the lawmaking process established in the US Constitution. Yet, it may be critical for preserving democratic norms given the growth of administrative lawmaking"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Introduction

A theory of back-channel policymaking

The Freedom of Information Act and the war against transparency

The nature of inter-branch policy communication

Misconceptions about inter-branch relations

The bureaucracy : Congress's backdoor to policy influence

Back-channel representation

Congressional access and influence in the bureaucracy

Conclusion.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages [205]-239) and index.

Other Format:

Online version: Ritchie, Melinda N. Backdoor lawmaking

ISBN:

9780197670484

0197670482

9780197670491

0197670490

OCLC:

1372496210

Publisher Number:

40031914727