Overview

Unorthodox Lawmaking introduces students to the intricacies of Congress while also providing the tools to assess the relative successes and limitations of the legislative process. It explores the full range of special procedures and processes that make up the legislative process, as well as the reasons these unconventional routes evolved. New coverage also includes changes to the filibuster rules under Harry Reid, and the fiscal cliff and government shutdowns.

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9781506322834

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Reviews

"""Unorthodox Lawmaking does an excellent job of synthesizing the legislative process in each chamber. I have not found another book on the market that so clearly addresses the differences like this one does."" -- Sophia Wallace ""Unorthodox Lawmaking is a superb foundational text, exploring well-researched variations in lawmaking in ways that are not typically found in other academic resources. It is one of the best examinations of legislative practices available the academic market. Sinclair uses robust research to uncover and analyze the complexities of lawmaking in comprehensible ways. This text is a go-to resource for information about U.S. legislative practices."" -- Renée B. Van Vechten ""Barbara Sinclair does an excellent job of showing how contemporary lawmaking departs from the traditional legislative process. I can′t imagine teaching a course on Congress without this text—it’s absolutely indispensable."" -- Philip Klinkner ""Unorthodox Lawmaking does a great job of using contemporary examples to provide an in-depth look at the complicated and highly politicized process that defines how a bill becomes a law in modern Congress."" -- Michael Lynch ""Unorthodox Lawmaking puts the transformation of the lawmaking process in Congress into context, documenting specific changes that have occurred and providing an argument for precisely why they took place. Sinclair illustrates the use of these new techniques in a way that keeps students interested."" -- Vincent Moscardelli ""Unorthodox Lawmaking is a great read, with a strong foundation about Congress as an institution. Sinclair strikes a balance between general statements and nuance, and demonstrates how complicated the policy process has become. Yet she doesn′t leave the reader without some general take-away points about how the process deviates from traditional textbook explanations."" -- Maryann Gallagher ""My students have enjoyed reading Unorthodox Lawmaking more than most of the other assigned texts. Sinclair’s writing makes the material approachable and helps precipitate lively discussions."" -- James Wallner  ""The concept and content of Unorthodox Lawmaking from the very beginning is well done. Sinclair’s use of case studies to illustrate the shift from ‘traditional’ to ‘unorthodox’ processes is impressive."" -- Carl Cavalli ""Unorthodox Lawmaking is straightforward and to-the-point. Sinclair does an excellent job of covering the primary topics, and the examples of unorthodox lawmaking are equally as good. I have used this text myself since reading the second edition."" -- Rob Mellen, Jr."

Unorthodox Lawmaking does an excellent job of synthesizing the legislative process in each chamber. I have not found another book on the market that so clearly addresses the differences like this one does. -- Sophia Wallace Unorthodox Lawmaking is a superb foundational text, exploring well-researched variations in lawmaking in ways that are not typically found in other academic resources. It is one of the best examinations of legislative practices available the academic market. Sinclair uses robust research to uncover and analyze the complexities of lawmaking in comprehensible ways. This text is a go-to resource for information about U.S. legislative practices. -- Renee B. Van Vechten Barbara Sinclair does an excellent job of showing how contemporary lawmaking departs from the traditional legislative process. I can't imagine teaching a course on Congress without this text-it's absolutely indispensable. -- Philip Klinkner Unorthodox Lawmaking does a great job of using contemporary examples to provide an in-depth look at the complicated and highly politicized process that defines how a bill becomes a law in modern Congress. -- Michael Lynch Unorthodox Lawmaking puts the transformation of the lawmaking process in Congress into context, documenting specific changes that have occurred and providing an argument for precisely why they took place. Sinclair illustrates the use of these new techniques in a way that keeps students interested. -- Vincent Moscardelli Unorthodox Lawmaking is a great read, with a strong foundation about Congress as an institution. Sinclair strikes a balance between general statements and nuance, and demonstrates how complicated the policy process has become. Yet she doesn't leave the reader without some general take-away points about how the process deviates from traditional textbook explanations. -- Maryann Gallagher My students have enjoyed reading Unorthodox Lawmaking more than most of the other assigned texts. Sinclair's writing makes the material approachable and helps precipitate lively discussions. -- James Wallner The concept and content of Unorthodox Lawmaking from the very beginning is well done. Sinclair's use of case studies to illustrate the shift from 'traditional' to 'unorthodox' processes is impressive. -- Carl Cavalli Unorthodox Lawmaking is straightforward and to-the-point. Sinclair does an excellent job of covering the primary topics, and the examples of unorthodox lawmaking are equally as good. I have used this text myself since reading the second edition. -- Rob Mellen, Jr.

Author Information

Barbara Sinclair is Marvin Hoffenberg Professor of American Politics at the University of California at Los Angeles. She served as chair of the Legislative Studies Section of the American Political Science Association from 1993 to 1995. She is the author of several books, including Legislators, Leaders, and Lawmaking: The U.S. House of Representatives in the Postreform Era, Transformation of the U.S. Senate, which won the Richard F. Fenno Prize and the D. B. Hardeman Prize, and Party Wars: Polarization and the Politics of National Policy Making.

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