Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies

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  • Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies
    (202) 885-3491
    ccps@american.edu

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Research: US Congress

The study of Congress is a central part of the scholarship that happens every day at the Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies.  Under the Constitution, Congress is the preeminent branch of the U.S. government and CCPS reflects that reality in our studies.  CCPS scholars have written important and widely cited papers and have contributed to numerous books that have contributed to the understanding of the flow of power and the process of the Legislative Branch. CCPS has also hosted panel discussions exploring these issues. In addition, Prof. Oleszek is a senior specialist on the legislative process with the Congressional Research Service and has written numerous reports for that agency.

Videos

Capitol Relations Post 9/11 Series:

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Part II - Is Gridlock Dead?

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Part III - Women in Congress



Recent articles and book chapters

By James A. Thurber

  • “Reforms will not assuage anger at Congress,” Financial Times, Aug. 7th, 2007.
  • "Congress and the Presidency", Politique Américaine, May 2007, pp. 28-43.
  • “Lobbying, Ethics, and Procedural Reforms: The Do-Nothing Congress 109th Congress Does Nothing About Reforming Itself.” Extensions: A Journal of the Carl Albert Congressional Research and Studies Center (Fall 2006), pp. 10-15.
  • “Congress Goes On-Line,” in James A. Thurber and Colton C. Campbell (eds.), Congress and the Internet (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2003)(Co-authored).
  • “Conclusion About Congressional-Presidential Rivalries,” Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations (Washington, DC: CQ Press, 2nd Edition, 2002).
  • “The Contemporary Presidency: Managing White House-Congressional Relations: Observations from Inside the Process,” Presidential Studies Quarterly, 30, no. 3 (September), 2000, pp. 553-563 with Gary Andres and Patrick Griffin.
  • “Congressional Budget Reform: Impact on the Appropriations Committees,” in Public Budgeting and Finance, December 1997, pp. 66-73.
  • "Political Power and Policy Subsystems in American Politics," in B. Guy Peters and Bert A. Rockman (eds.), Agenda for Excellence: Administering the State (Chatham, NJ: Chatham House Publishers, 1996), pp.76-104.

Books by CCPS scholars

By James Thurber:

  • Rivals for Power: Presidential-Congressional Relations (Lanham, MD: Rowman & Littlefield, 4th edition, 2009)(Editor).
  • Congress and the Internet (Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, 2003) (Editor with Colton Campbell).
  • The Battle for Congress: Candidates, Consultants and Voters, (Washington, DC: The Brookings Institution Press, 2001) (Editor).
  • Setting Course: A Congressional Management Guide, 7th edition (Washington, DC: Congressional Management Foundation, 1998 (co-author).
  • A Tribute to the House Appropriations Committee, 1865 - 1995, 130 Years of History, (Washington, DC: United States Capitol Historical Society, 1996).
  • Remaking Congress: Change and Stability in the 1990s (Washington DC: Congressional Quarterly Press), 1995, 218 pgs., (Editor with Roger Davidson).
  • Beyond Distrust: Building Bridges Between Congress and the Executive (Washington, DC: National Academy of Public Administration, 1992) (One of five principal investigators and authors).
  • Congressional-Executive Interaction and the Nuclear Waste Repository Site Selection Process (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Energy, 1992).
  • Is Congress Broken? A Comprehensive Look at Member Turnover, and the Implications for Institutional Change in the U.S. Congress (Washington, DC: American League of Lobbyists, May 1992).
  • Congressional-Executive Interaction and the Nuclear Waste Repository Site Selection Process (Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Energy, 1992).

By Walter Oleszek:

  • Congress and Its Members (Washington: CQ Press), 2009. (Co-author with Roger H. Davidson and Francis E. Lee).
  • Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process (Washington: CQ Press) 2007.

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