Congressional Staff

Abstract

The tradition of field research has shown a strong inclination toward the study of the relatively powerless in American society. This study attempts to address this problem by examining the social world of one of the politically elite, that is, the occupational subculture of congressional staffs. Congressional staff work in a highly mobile, insecure environment in which current job success and future prospects depend upon development, cultivation, and maintenance of appropriate personal networks. They aspire to build job security and free themselves from feudal dependence on their bosses by developing reputations as influential but pragmatic persons who can be trusted to keep the process orderly and predictable. It is suggested that staff concerns and networking activities have a conservatizing effect upon national policy decisions.