Congress in Reverse - by Jordan M Ragusa (Paperback)

About the Book

"In this book, the authors examine when and why Congress repeals existing laws. While many scholars seek to explain Congressional activity by focusing on the institution's ability to enact new legislation, Birkhead and Ragusa explore Congress's ability to "undo" existing statutes. The authors demonstrate that the dynamics of law creation and law repealing are not mirror opposites, and develop a new theory for understanding Congressional behavior that focuses on the majority party's ideological cohesiveness as well as its recent experience out of power. The authors argue that repeals are most common when the parties are ideologically cohesive and the majority party wins control of Congress after a long stint in the minority. In simple terms, repeals tend to occur when the majority party is not hampered by ideological divisions and came into power believing that they have a mandate for action"--

Book Synopsis

After years of divided government, countless Republicans campaigned on a promise to repeal the Affordable Care Act, better known as Obamacare. Yet when they took control of both chambers of Congress and the White House in 2017-after six years that included more than fifty symbolic votes and innumerable pledges-they failed to repeal the bulk of the law. Pundits were shocked, and observers and political scientists alike were stuck looking for an explanation. What made Obamacare so hard to repeal? And in a larger sense: What explains why some laws are repealed, and yet others endure in spite of considerable efforts? Are repeals different from law-making or do they mirror one another? Why are repeals more likely at some times than others? What theories of legislative behavior and policymaking explain when repeals happen?

Congress in Reverse is the first book to attempt to answer these questions. Jordan M. Ragusa and Nathaniel A. Birkhead examine when and why existing statutes are successfully "undone," arguing that repeals are most common when the parties are united on the issue-which was not the case when it came to Obamacare for the Republican Party-and the majority party wins control of Congress after a long stint in the minority. By shifting focus from the making of laws to their un-making, Congress in Reverse opens up a new arena for studying legislative activity in Congress.

Review Quotes

"Birkhead and Ragusa have completed an impressive and first of its kind study of congressional efforts to repeal major statutes--such as the highly-publicized attempt to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act. Armed with more than a century's worth of data, they show that repeals face unique constraints and pose unique political, policy, and institutional challenges. Well-written and impactful, Congress in Reverse sheds new light on some of the most important legislative efforts undertaken in American history."--James M. Curry, University of Utah

About the Author

Jordan M. Ragusa is associate professor of political science at the College of Charleston. Nathaniel A. Birkhead is associate professor of Political Science at Kansas State University.