"Summing Up: Recommended."
—Choice
— R.P. Seyb, Skidmore College, Choice
"Lewallen’s book offers a new look at committees in Congress. He offers multiple measurements of how committees react to their own institution and look to maximize their impact within policy jurisdictions. The cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons point to a dynamic process as committees seek ways to balance limited time and enhance their role as information leaders."
—Congress the Presidency
— Mark Owens, University of Texas at Tyler, Congress & the Presidency
“Lewallen provides fresh insight into one of the most important changes happening inside of the modern Congress—that of the evolving role played by congressional committees. Showing that committee activity has shifted, rather than declined, the findings of this book will surprise many, and challenge the conventional wisdom.”
—James M. Curry, University of Utah
— James M. Curry, University of Utah, James M. Curry, University of Utah
“In an era when the public has lost faith in Congress as a policymaking institution, Lewallen makes a compelling case that a remedy can be found by reinvigorating the structures of Congress itself: Committees that are repositories of expertise, venues for deliberation, and engines for policymaking, but which have receded in recent years in favor of a centralized, party-driven process.”
—John Baughman, Bates College
— John Baughman, Bates College, John Baughman, Bates College