If Congress Is So Dysfunctional, Why Is Its Staff So Busy? A Congressional Fellow’s Perspective

Gelman, Jeremy

doi:10.1017/s1049096518000288

Cited by 1 publication

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References 1 publication

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“…The literature, for example, scarcely covers the acute hyper‐partisanship and polarization that has increased in Congress in recent years (Lee 2016). Similarly, while there are discussions in the extant literature regarding how difficult it is to schedule interviews with Congress, recent research on Congress suggests that both Members and staff are busier than ever due to factors such as shrinking staff sizes and an increasing emphasis on messaging (Gelman 2018; Reynolds et al 2017). Social media may also decrease the willingness of Members and staff to participate in academic interview projects due to fear over leaks and the risk of political embarrassment (Parker 2018).…”

Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conducting Interview Projects in the US Congress: Analyzing the Methods of Experts in the Field

Steiman,

Suhay

2023

Legislative Studies Qtrly

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The field of political science is seeing renewed interest in studying the US Congress via one‐on‐one interviews. Yet, the qualitative research methods literature on this topic has lagged behind, with few recent treatments available. The result is uncertainty regarding how best to access and interview Congress. In this study, we implement a novel study design, interviewing over 20 authors—who collectively represent nearly all Congressional qualitative interview studies from the past several decades—about their research practices. Whereas the existing literature focuses on lessons learned from one or two authors’ research experiences, this approach allows us to synthesize a wide range of researchers’ practices and perspectives, identifying areas of consensus and dispute and ultimately providing comprehensive advice to qualitative researchers. As interviewing Congress becomes increasingly difficult amidst growing political polarization and distrust of academics, this methodological advice comes at an opportune time for researchers studying the US Congress and beyond.

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Section: Theoretical Frameworkmentioning

confidence: 99%