Term Limits and the Dismantling of State Legislative Professionalism

This book examines how legislature rules affect the behavior of its members and policies.

Thad Kousser (Author)

9780521548731, Cambridge University Press

Paperback, published 22 November 2004

286 pages, 29 b/w illus. 2 maps 32 tables
22.8 x 15.2 x 2.2 cm, 0.385 kg

"A thorough analysis of the impact term limits have had on the functions of state legislatures, Kousser's book is exceptionally well written." The Law and Politics Book Review

The wisdom of term limits and professional politics has been debated since the time of Aristotle, spurring 'reforms' of legislatures in Athens, Rome, Venice, and in the US under the Articles of Confederation. This book examines recent trends in American states in order to investigate the age-old question of how the rules that govern a legislature affect the behavior of its members and the policies that it produces. The clear and consistent finding is that the two reforms have countervailing effects: whatever professionalization has brought more of, term limits have reduced. This lesson comes from quantitative analyses of data from all fifty states and detailed examinations of legislative records from six states, informed by interviews with over one hundred legislators, staff assistants, lobbyists, journalists, and executive officials.

Part I. The Many Designs of American State Legislature: 1. Introduction
2. Narratives of change in six states
Part II. How Design Affects a Legislature's Form: 3. The stability of leadership: how long do 'First Among Equals' last?
4. The role of committees: independent actors or agents?
5. Patterns in legislative achievement
Part III. How Design Affects a Legislature's Function: 6. Bargaining between the legislative and executive branches
7. The production of policy innovation
8. Conclusions
9. Epilogue: adaptations to term limits.

Subject Areas: Politics & government [JP], Regional studies [GTB]