Beyond the Domain: Recasting Network Politics in the Postreform Congress

The study of policy networks usually focuses on the most routine political interactions, rather than on the proliferation of new activists and issues. In studying Congress, that approach directs attention to committee and subcomittee influence. This analysis takes an alternate approach, one more compatible with increasing entrepreneurship and declining specialization in the postreform Congress. It examines individual members from throughout the Congress as issue initiators. In particular, the focus is on (1) expansive member involvement, (2) the inclination of members to react to and process primarily constituent demands, and (3) the importance of state congressional delegations in advising members on issue selection. The conclusions, based on an extensive survey of members and staff from 113 individual offices, suggest that a significant transformation in the dynamics and power relationships within both Congress and domain politics is taking place. In particular, this research challenges the view that exclusionary and specialized policy networks dominate decision making within a well-defined policy domain.