Congressmen's Voting Decisions

by John W. Kingdon

This classic study of voting decisions in the U.S. House of Representatives, based on extensive interviewing and observation, combines theory and substance, generalization and detailed description. With a new introduction, this influential and innovative book remains the best statement of the ways in which legislators reach decisions. The work contributes in critical ways to scholars’ and students’ understanding of such larger features of legislative process as representation of constituencies, the place of specialization in the making of public policy, the extent and types of legislative rationality, the importance of principles in decisions, and the place of legislatures in larger political systems.

Genres: Political Science

374 pages, Paperback

First published January 28, 1973

About the author

John Wells Kingdon (born 1940) is Professor Emeritus and was Acting Chair of Political Science (1989-1990 when the Chair, Jack L. Walker, was on leave) at the University of Michigan. He is a graduate of Oberlin College and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and was a Guggenheim fellow. He resides in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Reviews

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 3 out of 5]

A record of the voting patterns of members of Congress for recorded votes. A reference what bills/laws individual members have supported or opposed.