Sociology in Legis-Land: An Ethnographic Report on Congressional Culture

This article argues that applied settings offer opportunities for analysis as well as employment. The theme is discussed in the context of a recent Congressional Fellowship. The first half of the article is a relatively straightforward report on Congressional staffers and their activities; it presents background information and identifies three areas of dynamic tension that seem to deserve greater attention in future research. Building on this information, the second half of the article provides examples of three types of substantive conclusions that deserve to be encouraged in future applied work. The first is the application, in a new context, of previously familiar concepts. An example in the present case is that, despite the many ways in which Congress is unique, it is also very much like a “typical” small town. The second is the questioning of common assumptions: despite the frequent criticisms of the so-called “rational model of decisionmaking,” for example, information and analysis play a significant role in policy outcomes, and knowledge is indeed power in many Congressional deliberations. The third is the recognition of broader challenges to the discipline; an example in the Congressional context is that social scientists, and sociologists in particular, have been extraordinarily ineffective in educating policy-makers on the nature of their work. Individually, each of these conclusions has implications for sociologists; collectively, they are meant to illustrate the importance of looking to applied settings as a source of insights, not just income.