This image is the cover for the book Living Legislation

Living Legislation

Political scholars examine the dynamic evolution of laws over time in a volume that “pushes the frontiers of knowledge about lawmaking in the US” (Choice).

Politics is at its most dramatic during debates over important pieces of legislation. And while debates over legislative measures can rage for years or even decades before an item is enacted, they also endure long afterward, when the political legacy of a law eventually comes into focus. With a diverse set of contributors—including quantitative political scientists, political development scholars, historians, and economists—Living Legislation provides fresh insights into contemporary American politics and public policy.

Many of the contributors to this volume focus on the question of why some laws stand the test of time while others are eliminated, replaced, or significantly amended. Others discuss how laws emerge from—and effect change within—coalition structures; the effectiveness of laws at mediating partisan conflicts; and the ways in which laws interact with broader shifts in the political environment. An essential addition to the study of politics, Living Legislation enhances understanding of democracy, governance, and power.

Jeffery A. Jenkins, Eric M. Patashnik, William J. Novak, Jeffrey E. Cohen, Matthew Eshbaugh-Soha, Sean Gailmard, Christopher R. Berry, Barry C. Burden, William G. Howell, Forrest Maltzman, Charles R. Shipan, Amihai Glazer, David E. Lewis, Stuart Chinn, Vesla M. Weaver, David R. Mayhew, Sidney M. Milkis

Jeffery A. Jenkins is the Provost Professor of Public Policy, Political Science, and Law, the Judith and John Bedrosian Chair of Governance and the Public Enterprise, director of the Bedrosian Center, and director of the Political Institutions and Political Economy Collaborative at University of Southern California. Eric M. Patashnik is professor of public policy and politics and associate dean of the Frank Batten School of Leadership and Public Policy at the University of Virginia. He is the author or editor of several books, including Reforms at Risk.

The University of chicago press