Congress remains policy productive despite polarization

What the study found: Congress has underappreciated virtues in representation, institutional processes, and policy outcomes, according to the authors. They say the polarized Congress still reflects political diversity in the country and remains policy productive.

Why the authors say this matters: The authors suggest that Congress contributes to problem solving in contemporary American government and that this contribution is more positive than is usually recognized in political science. They conclude that Congress’s processes and outcomes matter because they show respect for political diversity and often gain broad support.

What the researchers tested: The article examines Congress’s contribution to problem solving in contemporary American government. The authors compare contemporary Congress with earlier decades and assess representation, institutional processes, and policy outcomes.

What worked and what didn't: The authors say Congress’s membership and party composition do a credible job reflecting political diversity, and its institutional processes show respect for that diversity. They also report that Congress typically enacts policy outcomes that command broad support across party lines, and that it passes as much or more legislation by sheer volume than in the 1980s and 1990s, despite intense polarization.

What to keep in mind: The abstract does not describe specific data, measures, or limitations. The claims here are limited to the authors’ assessment as presented in the abstract.

Key points

• The authors give Congress a more positive assessment than is common in political science.
• They say Congress reflects political diversity in the country through its membership and party composition.
• They report that Congress’s policy outcomes usually have broad support across party lines.
• They say Congress enacts as much or more legislation than it did in the 1980s and 1990s.
• The abstract does not provide specific methods, data, or limitations.