Sage Journals: Discover world-class research

Abstract

Based upon extended semistructured interviews with samples of state legislators and administrators in Kentucky and Minnesota, this comparative case study examines the consequences of legislative casework for state administrative performance. Although it is found that casework clearly does "humanize" the bureaucratic process, it does so at some not inconsiderable cost for the administrative values of universalism and affective neutrality. Casework appears to provide administrators with some useful feedback on agency operations and programs. In addition, casework-handling presents agencies with an opportunity to enhance legislative and citizen understanding of, and support for, agency activities. Although the overall judgment must be that positive consequences outweigh negative consequences, the study also finds more negative consequences than have sometimes been attributed to casework as far as effective administrative performance is concerned

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Burns, J. (1971) The Sometimes Governments. Citizens Conference on State Legislatures. New York Bantam.

Clapp, C ( 1963) The Congressman: His Work as He Sees It. Washington, DC: Brookings Institution.

Cranor, J. D. and J W. Westphal (1978) "Congressional district offices, federal programs and electoral benefits: some observations on the passing of the marginal representative, 1974-1976" Presented at the annual meeting of the Midwest Political Science Association, Chicago .

Elling, R. C. ( 1979) "The utility of state legislative casework as a means of oversight." Legislative Studies Q. 4 (August). 353-379.

Fenton, J. (1966) Midwest Politics . New York. Holt, Rinehart & Winston.

— ( 1957) Politics in the Border States. New Orleans. Hauser.

Fiorina, M. ( 1977a) Congress Keystone of the Washington Establishment. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press.

- - ( 1977b) "The case of the vanishing marginals. the bureaucracy did it " Amer. Pol. Sci. Rev. 71 (June): 177-181.

Galloway, G. ( 1953) The Legislative Process in Congress. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell.

10.

Gellhorn, W. (1966) When Americans Complain. Cambridge, MA. Harvard Univ. Press.

11.

Gray, K. E. ( 1969) "Congressional interference in administration," pp. 521-542 in D. J. Elazar et al (eds.) Cooperation and Conflict. Itasca, IL: Peacock.

12.

Johannes, J. (1978) "Casework as a technique of congressional oversight of the executive " Presented at the annual meeting of the American Political Science Association, New York.

13.

Kammerer, G (1958) "Kentucky's all pervasive spoils politics." Good Government (July/August): 32-37.

14.

Mann, D. (1968) The Citizen and the Bureaucracy. Complaint-Handling Procedures of Three California Legislators . Berkeley. University of California Institute of Governmental Studies.

15.

Mayhew, D. (1978) Congress. The Electoral Connection. New Haven: Yale Univ. Press.

16.

Ogul, M. (1976) Congress Oversees the Bureaucracy Pittsburgh. Univ. of Pittsburgh Press.

17.

Olson, K. G (1966) "The service function of the U.S. Congress," pp. 323-364 in A DeGrazia (ed.) Congress: The First Branch of Government . Washington, DC: American Enterprise Institute.

18.

Tacheron, D G and M K Udall (1970) The Job of the Congressman Indianapolis: Bobbs-Merrill.

19.

Unruh, J. (1965) "The need for an ombudsman in California." California I law Rev. 53: 1212-1213

20.

Vinyard, D. (1967) "Congressmen as Washington agents for constituents." Business and Government Rev 8 (September/October). 19-25.

State Legislative Casework and State Administrative Performance

Abstract

Get full access to this article

References