From School Library Journal
YA Students of American history and government will appreciate this comprehensive analysis of the way in which the U.S. Congress establishes policy for the nation. Some chapters will be especially good for high-school curriculum: ``Congress and Lawmaking,'' ``The Congressional Environment,'' and ``The Congressional Budget Process,'' among others. A few sections will be more used by teachers supporting their lectures: ``House Floor Procedure,'' and ``Legislative Oversight,'' as examples. An excellent chart demonstrates ``How a Bill Becomes a Law,'' and is only one of several such well-drawn demonstrations. The comprehensive index and glossary also add to the value of the book, which will be well used in many high-school libraries. Sherry Solomon, Episcopal High School, Bellaire, Tex.
Copyright 1989 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Review
The new edition of Walter Oleszek's
Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process continues to be the preeminent and most comprehensive work on the rules, procedures, and decision making of Congress. No other work comes close to this book in its objective and original scholarship, clarity and usefulness to Members of Congress, the media, scholars, students, and the general public. Oleszek has written a treasure. It is the primary source of authoritative knowledge about the complexity of the rules of the congressional policy process. I have adopted every edition of this book for my students and I will continue to do so. --- James A. Thurber, Distinguished University Professor; Director, Center for Congressional and Presidential Studies, American University
I have used Oleszek's book about congressional procedures as the central text in my undergraduate courses about Congress for many years. It provides a superb introduction to the practical nuts and bolts of lawmaking, emphasizing not just the content of congressional rules and precedent, but also how procedure is used strategically by members to accomplish their goals. The book is impressively up-to-date and has lots of great anecdotes. The chapter on the budget process is still the best short introduction to the topic currently in print. Overall, by the end of the course, my undergraduate students are really glad that they have mastered the book. Especially for students who take post-graduate positions relevant to the legislative process in Congress, they often comment years later that reading the Oleszek book during their student days helped them in their professional life after graduation. --- C. Lawrence Evans, Newton Family Professor of Government, College of William and Mary
Walter Oleszek's
Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process provides clear, precise explanations of congressional rules along with timely examples that illustrate how procedures affect what happens in Congress. This book is both an essential text for courses on Congress and an indispensable reference volume for scholars and practitioners. --- Randall Strahan, Emory University
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.