Hostname: page-component-78c5997874-j824f Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-16T14:21:16.389Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Congresswomen, Legislative Entrepreneurship, and the Basis for Effective Legislating in the U.S. House, 1973–2008

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 June 2021

Nicole Kalaf-Hughes Open the ORCID record for Nicole Kalaf-Hughes [Opens in a new window] ,
Jason A. MacDonald  and
Lauren M. Santoro
Nicole Kalaf-Hughes
Affiliation:
Bowling Green State University
Jason A. MacDonald
Affiliation:
West Virginia University
Lauren M. Santoro
Affiliation:
Western Governors University
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Research indicates that congresswomen are more effective at moving bills through the lawmaking process than their male counterparts. To investigate why, we discuss what legislative entrepreneurship involves and explain why it can serve as the basis for problem-solving and effective lawmaking in the U.S. Congress. We also examine the entrepreneurial work that members of Congress did on behalf of bills that they sponsored from 1973 to 2008. Among other findings, we observe that congresswomen, especially those in the minority party, are more entrepreneurial than their male colleagues. This finding enhances our understanding of why female lawmakers are more effective lawmakers.

Keywords

entrepreneurshipinstitutional behaviorgenderCongress
Type
Research Article
Information
Politics & Gender , Volume 18 , Issue 3 , September 2022 , pp. 640 - 671
Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of the Women, Gender, and Politics Research Section of the American Political Science Association

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

REFERENCES

Aldrich, John H., and Rohde, David W.. 2000. “The Republican Revolution and the House Appropriations Committee.” Journal of Politics 62 (1): 1–33.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anzia, Sarah F., and Berry, Christopher R.. 2011. “The Jackie (and Jill) Robinson Effect: Why Do Congresswomen Outperform Congressmen?” American Journal of Political Science 55 (3): 478–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Barber, Michael, and McCarty, Nolan. 2015. “Causes and Consequences of Political Polarization.” In Political Negotiation: A Handbook, eds. Mansbridge, Jane and Martin, Cathie Jo. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution Press, 37–90.Google Scholar
Carroll, Susan J. 2002. “Partisan Dynamics of the Gender Gap among State Legislators.” Spectrum: The Journal of State Government 75 (4): 18–21.Google Scholar
Cox, Gary W., and McCubbins, Mathew D.. 2005. Setting the Agenda: Responsible Party Government in the U.S. House of Representatives. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, Gary W., and McCubbins, Mathew D.. 2007. Legislative Leviathan: Party Government in the House. 2nd ed. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Cox, Gary W., and Terry, William C.. 2008. “Legislative Productivity in the 93d–105th Congresses.” Legislative Studies Quarterly 33 (4): 603–18.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Dolan, Julie. 1997. “Support for Women's Interests in the 103rd Congress: The Distinct Impact of Congressional Women.” Women & Politics 18 (4): 81–94.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Duerst-Lahti, Georgia. 2002. “Knowing Congress as a Gendered Institution: Manliness and the Implications of Women in Congress.” In Women Transforming Congress, ed. Rosenthal, Cindy Simon. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 20–49.Google Scholar
Fox, Richard L., and Smith, Eric R. A. N.. 1998. “The Role of Candidate Sex in Voter Decision-Making.” Political Psychology 19 (2): 405–19.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Hall, Richard. 1996. Participation in Congress. New Haven, CT: Yale University Press.Google Scholar
Harbridge, Laurel. 2015. Is Bipartisanship Dead? Policy Agreement and Agenda-Setting in the House of Representatives. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Kantak, Kristin, and Krause, George A.. 2012. The Diversity Paradox: Political Parties, Legislatures, and the Organizational Foundations of Representation in America. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Karpowitz, Christopher F., and Mendelberg, Tali. 2014. The Silent Sex: Gender, Deliberation, and Institutions. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press.Google Scholar
Karpowitz, Christopher F., Mendelberg, Tali, and Shaker, Lee. 2012. “Gender Inequality in Deliberative Participation.” American Political Science Review 106 (3): 533–47.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Fox, Richard L.. 2005. It Takes a Candidate: Why Women Don't Run for Office. New York: Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Lawless, Jennifer L., and Pearson, Kathryn. 2008. “The Primary Reason for Women's Underrepresentation? Reevaluating the Conventional Wisdom.” Journal of Politics 70 (1): 67–82.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Lazarus, Jeffrey, and Steigerwalt, Amy. 2018. Gendered Vulnerability: How Women Work Harder to Stay in Office. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mansbridge, Jane. 1999. “Should Blacks Represent Blacks and Women Represent Women? A Contingent ‘Yes.’” Journal of Politics 61 (3): 628–57.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Mendelberg, Tali, Karpowitz, Christopher F., and Goedert, Nicholas. 2014. “Does Descriptive Representation Facilitate Women's Distinctive Voice? How Gender Composition and Decision Rules Affect Deliberation.” American Journal of Political Science 58 (2): 291–306.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Milyo, Jeffrey, and Schosberg, Samantha. 2000. “Gender Bias and Selection Bias in House Elections.” Public Choice 105 (1–2): 41–59.Google Scholar
Newport, Frank, and Carroll, Joseph. 2007. “Analysis: Impact of Personal Characteristics on Candidate Support.” Gallup, March 13. https://news.gallup.com/poll/26857/analysis-impact-personal-characteristics-candidate-support.aspx (accessed January 28, 2021).Google Scholar
Pearson, Kathryn, and Dancey, Logan. 2011. “Elevating Women's Voices in Congress: Speech Participation in the U.S. Congress.” Political Research Quarterly 64 (4): 910–23.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pearson, Kathryn, and McGhee, Eric. 2013. “What It Takes to Win: Questioning ‘Gender Neutral’ Outcomes in U.S. House Elections.” Politics & Gender 9 (4): 439–62.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Pitkin, Hanna Fenichel. 1967. The Concept of Representation. Los Angeles: University of California Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Reingold, Beth. 1996. “Conflict and Cooperation: Legislative Strategies and Concepts of Power among Female and Male State Legislators.” Journal of Politics 58 (2): 464–85.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rohde, David W. 1991. Parties and Leaders in the Postreform House. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Rosenthal, Cindy Simon. 1998. When Women Lead: Integrative Leadership in State Legislatures. New York: Oxford University Press.Google Scholar
Swers, Michele L. 1998. “Are Congresswomen More Likely to Vote for Women's Issue Bills than Their Male Colleagues?” Legislative Studies Quarterly 23 (3): 435–48.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Swers, Michele L. 2002. The Difference Women Make: The Policy Impact of Women in Congress. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Thomas, Sue. 1991. “The Impact of Women on State Legislative Policies.” Journal of Politics 53 (4): 958–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volden, Craig, and Wiseman, Alan E.. 2014. Legislative Effectiveness in Congress: The Lawmakers. New York: Cambridge University Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volden, Craig, Wiseman, Alan E., and Wittmer, Dana E.. 2013. “When Are Women More Effective Lawmakers than Men?” American Journal of Political Science 57 (2): 326–41.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Volden, Craig, Wiseman, Alan E., and Wittmer, Dana E.. 2018. “Women's Issues and Their Fates in the U.S. Congress.” Political Science Research and Methods 6 (4): 679–96.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Walsh, Katherine Cramer. 2002. “Enlarging Representation: Women Bringing Marginalized Perspectives to Floor Debate in the House of Representatives.” In Women Transforming Congress, ed. Rosenthal, Cindy Simon. Norman: University of Oklahoma Press, 370–96.Google Scholar
Wawro, Gregory. 2000. Legislative Entrepreneurship in the U.S. House of Representatives. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Supplementary material: File

Kalaf-Hughes et al. supplementary material

Appendix 1

Download Kalaf-Hughes et al. supplementary material(File)
File 211.9 KB