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Book Review

by Gary Moncrief, Professor of Political Science, Boise State University, that will appear in the October 2002 issue of NCSL's State Legislatures magazine.

It seems the American public has never held political institutions in particularly high esteem. This is especially true of legislatures, and is especially true today. In this book, four well-known political scientists-all of them experienced observers of legislatures--set out to defend the American system of representative democracy. Along the way they take on the media, the traditional methods of civics education and legislators who campaign by running against the institution. A distrustful public seems to view representative democracy-and particularly the legislative institution-as confusing and messy, filled with politicians who are self-serving and engaged in petty arguments instead of following "the public interest". As the authors note, "The case against political people, political institutions, and political processes is frequently heard. The case for representative democracy also must be heard...."

Indeed, the authors make a strong case for representative democracy. One of the keys in this defense is Chapter 2 (What Did The Framers Have in Mind?) a very good basic introduction to the ideas of Madison, Hamilton and the other framers, and why they felt a strong system of representative democracy was essential. Implicit in the discussion is that the system today maintains many of the strengths of representative democracy as envisioned by the framers.

One of the most persuasive arguments in the book is that the American public consistently underestimates the level of conflict and diversity of opinion in the U.S. This argument, found especially in Chapters 3 and 7, is clearly laid out and supported by survey data and focus group interviews. This argument is central to the defense of representative government: mediating institutions such as legislatures and interest groups are particularly important in expressing disparate ideas and policy options. And the public, by consistently and rather naively underestimating the level of conflict and diversity of public opinion also underestimate (and under-appreciate) the value of such institutions.

The book is written in a clear, lively style, and is intended for a broad audience. It is a book that legislators and staff will appreciate, and a book all Americans should read. The authors craft a solid set of arguments for why representative democracy, and the legislature in particular, should be held in higher esteem by a cynical public.

Table of Contents

Chapter 1. What Does The Public Think?
Chapter 2. What Did the Framers Have in Mind?
Chapter 3. Where Do People Stand on Issues?
Chapter 4. What Makes Legislators Tick?
Chapter 5. How Are Legislators Linked to Their Constituencies?
Chapter 6. How Special Are the Special Interests?
Chapter 7. Why Is the Political Process Contentious?
Chapter 8. What Makes Legislators and Legislatures Accountable?
Chapter 9. How Well Have Legislatures Been Working?
Chapter 10. Representative Democracy Does Work

Table and Figures

Tables

3-1 The Most Important Problems In America
3-2 Americans Disagree on the Issues
4-1 Legislative Bills Introduced and Enacted, 1998 and 1999, Regular Sessions
5-1 Legislative Districts
5-2 States and Jurisdictions That Provide Year-Round Personal Staff to Members, 1998
6-1 The Twenty-five Most Influential Interests
7-1 Public Attitudes Toward Conflict and Democratic Procedures
8-1 Length of Legislative Terms
8-2 Term Limits in State Legislatures
8-3 Consecutive versus Lifetime Term Limits
9-1 Permanent Staff of U.S. Congress and State Legislatures, 1979-1996
10-1 The Power of Governors, 2001
10-2 Initiative States Ranked in Order of Use, 1990-2001

Figures

4-1 Time Demands of Legislative Work
4-2 A Day in the Life of a California Legislator
4-3 Estimated Annual Compensation of Rank-and-File Legislators
8-1 Competitive Seats: Average Percentage of Legislative Seats Won by Less than 60 Percent of the vote, 1992-1996
10-1 The System of Representative Democracy

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