Conflict in Congress - by Scot Schraufnagel (Hardcover)

About the Book

This book suggests that conflict in legislatures is two-dimensional. Using the US Congress as a testing ground, and novel indicators of both forms of conflict and legislative productivity, the book tests the theory, concluding that moderate levels of interactive conflict are most productive.

Book Synopsis

The book introduces Legislative Conflict Theory. The theory suggests that conflict in legislatures is two-dimensional and that a moderate level of conflict will be most productive. The two types of conflict are policy differences and relational conflict. Using the US Congress as a testing ground, and novel indicators of both forms of conflict and legislative productivity, the book tests the theory various ways. The testing arrives at the conclusion that specific Congresses and historical eras, easily identified as more productive, experienced a median level of two-dimensional conflict. There are implications for effective legislative process in all political settings including democratically elected legislatures and 'rubber stamp' legislatures in authoritarian environments. In the end, the research makes the case for recruiting the right type of people to serve. However, the most effective legislators will be context dependent. In low conflict scenarios, rabble-rousers become the most effective legislators. When two-dimensional conflict is too high, the need is for disciplined-mannerly legislators committed to compromise.

Review Quotes

"Dr. Schraufnagel introduces an important approach to understanding how conflict in Congress is both troubling and essential. That the conflict is inevitable prompts questions about how to overcome conflict so that Congress can do what it was established to do. Dr. Schraufnagel combines a strong theoretical foundation, bringing in a wide range of social and political philosophers, to help us better understand the statistical analyses that he uses to support the cogent arguments he makes." --Terri Susan Fine, University of Central Florida

"In the contemporary, highly polarized Congress, any call for moderation is a hostage to fortune. Scot Schraufnagel tackles the question of congressional conflict bravely and with erudition. Rightly, he distinguishes between legislative conflict founded on sharp partisan policy differences from that based on relational conflict involving incivility, mean-spiritedness and spite, and often observed within the same party. It's the difference between tribal support for one's football team and wrecking the stadium when they lose. His call in today's world for legislative moderation, a new humbler breed of legislator and a renewed commitment to the norms of tolerance, courtesy and reciprocity are commendable and bold." --John Owens, University of Westminster

About the Author

Scot Schraufnagelis former Peace Corps volunteer and department chair at Northern Illinois University.