Legislative Entrepreneurship in the U.S. House of Representatives. By Gregory Wawro. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press, 2000. 193p. $39.50 cloth, $19.95 paper.

Extract

Why would any legislator in the U.S. House of Representatives invest the time and energy to pass good public policy? This simple question drives Gregory Wawro's investigation of legislative entrepreneurship, which he defines as “invest[ing] time, staff, and other resources to acquire knowledge of particular policy areas, draft[ing] legislation addressing issues in those areas, and shepherd[ing] their proposals through the legislative process by building and maintaining coalitions” (p. 2). His introduction and description of the puzzle are exemplary. His answer, unfortunately, is wanting.