Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking

1 rating: 3.0

A book by Keith Krehbiel

Politicians and pundits alike have complained that the divided governments of the last decades have led to legislative gridlock. Not so, argues Keith Krehbiel, who advances the provocative theory that divided government actually has little effect on … see full wiki

Tags: Books

Author: Keith Krehbiel

Genre: Nonfiction

Publisher: University Of Chicago Press

1 review about Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking

Showing 1-1 of 1

Sort by:

Every wonder why Washington doesn't work?

Nov 18, 2010

by FreeDom4
posted in Cafe Libri: Reviewing Books & More

Rating:

In the news we frequently hear that Washington just doesn't work or that gridlock has taken over the system. In Pivotal Politics: A Theory of U.S. Lawmaking, Krehbiel provides an explanation for why. Basically, certain government institutional features, such as the president's veto and the Senate's filibuster, make it very difficult to change policy. Thus, it is possible to have gridlock even when the same party controls both branches of government.

My two criticisms of the book are as follows. First, the writing is a bit obtuse. I understand this is for an academic audience (I consider myself part of that crowd). However, there are times when Krehbiel uses terms like "changes in gridlock," when it really seems to mean either an increase or decrease. Some of the diagrams aren't well explained and it took me a while to fully understand what was going on. Second, I'm not quite sure how his theory differs from the broader institutional literature on Veto Players.

I do wish this book were more accessible to a wider audience. I think it goes a long way toward moderating the public's expectations with regard to "change".

What did you think of this review?

Helpful

Thought-Provoking

Fun to Read

Well-Organized