PPT 13

Page 1: Assignment of Members to Committees

• Topic: Congress

Page 2: Collective Action Problems in Legislation

• Good Legislation: Must be electorally viable and high quality.

• Interest Representation:

  • Major party interests vs. proportional representation.

  • Members prioritize some issues more than others, seeking influence accordingly.

• Solution: Organization of committees to address collective action problems.

  • Care must be taken as solutions can create further issues.

Page 3: Theories of Committee Roles

• Distributive Model:

  • Committees enable members to gain influence and direct resources back to their districts, facilitating reelection.

• Informational Model:

  • Designed to provide information and aid the legislative process with expertise.

• Partisan Model:

  • Controlled by the majority party to advance party goals with a focus on reelection; may overlap with distributive and informational goals.

Page 4: Perspective on Committee Assignments

• Consideration: Who to appoint based on solving specific collective action problems.

• Disproportionate Influence:

  • Appointing individuals with strong policy area interests ensures effective advocacy and policy influence.

  • Failures in representation can skew interests in favor of "high demanders" in those areas.

Page 5: Distributive Model Policy Consequences

• Structure Induced Equilibrium:

  • Concept by Shepsle and Weingast (1981) suggesting committees act as log rolling mechanisms.

  • Members select committees based on policy interests.

  • Committees retain gate-keeping and agenda-setting powers that influence outcomes and encourage high spending based on priorities.

Page 6: Spatial Model Examples (Scenario 1)

• Key Variables:

  • F = Floor or chamber median: reflects the chamber's response under open rule.

  • C = Committee median: reflects committee calculations on bill markup.

  • q = Status quo: the current policy context.

• Gatekeeping: Committees can block bills from reaching the floor.

Page 7: Spatial Model Examples (Scenario 2)

• Similar Variables:

  • Retains F, C, q definitions.

  • Emphasis on committee's ability to prevent or allow bills under open rules.

Page 8: Spatial Model Examples (Scenario 1 - Closed Rule)

• Open vs. Closed Rules:

  • Closed rule limits amendments, impacting how the committee and floor address policy decisions.

Page 9: Spatial Model Examples (Scenario 4 - Closed Rule)

• Committee Functions:

  • Importance of understanding committee dynamics and the implications of gatekeeping.

Page 10: Structure Induced Equilibrium: Pareto Set

• Concept: Policies where one cannot improve without worsening another’s position.

• Highlights Congress’ acceptance of committee "outliers", leading to stable but not optimal policies.

Page 11: Distributive Committees

• Dimensions: Committees navigate multi-dimensional issues, decision-making structures help establish equilibrium.

• Profile composition based on strong preferences relevant to dimensions.

Page 12: Distributive Committees - Game Perspective

• Role Assignments: Discussion about which bills to present given varying power dynamics.

Page 13: Informational Model of Committees

• Goals:

  • High-quality legislation through specialized knowledge and unbiased committee representation.

• Autonomy and Specialization: Encouraged for robustness in information and expertise.

Page 14: Principal-Agent Relationship

• Overview: Describes dynamics where a principal (Congress) delegates tasks to an agent (committee).

• Challenges: Ensuring proper incentives and monitoring becoming pivotal yet costly.

Page 15: Informational Model Game

• Specialization Incentives:

  • Committees learn true outcomes through internal processes impacting decision-making.

• Bias Considerations: Differentiating effects based on committee bias on legislative outcomes.

Page 16: Game Implications on Committees

• Incentives:

  • Unbiased committees are motivated to specialize more than biased ones owing to expected payoffs.

Page 17: Partisan Models of Committees

• Majority Control:

  • Majority party concentrates on ensuring representation and utilizing loyalists in key committees.

Page 18: Partisan Models: Structure Example

• Committee Composition:

  • Majority party biases in key committees to further control agenda and amplify party influence.

Page 19: Repetition of Partisan Control Dynamics

• Reiterates the strategy of stacking committees to reinforce party policies.

Page 20: Conclusion: Motives and Selection Mechanisms

• Informational Goals: Development of expertise aligned with the chamber's broader interests.

• Partisan Objectives: Selection based on overrepresentation and commitment to party ideologies.

• Distributive Goals: Emphasis on how committees function as distributive agents.

Page 21: Conclusion: Types of Committees in Congress

• Distributive Focus: Agriculture recognized as intensely distributive.

• Party-Stacked Focus: Rules are notably partisan.

• Expertise Concerns: Acknowledges trends of diminished committee expertise amid external information sources.

Page 22: Upcoming Topics

• Next Focus: Committee procedures including hearings, markup, amendments, and reports.

Page 23: Informational Model Overview

• Functionality: Emphasizes committees' organization to develop expertise for the legislative process.