Affiliation:
1. Administrative Conference of the United States District of Columbia Washington USA
2. Levin Center for Oversight and Democracy Wayne State University Detroit Michigan USA
Abstract
AbstractCongress has long exercised its power to oversee the executive branch. Important research has examined empirical patterns in congressional investigations, finding institutional, individual, policy, and partisan incentives motivate legislative inquiry. Yet, scholars largely have overlooked one fundamental question: what is oversight? We use new quantitative and qualitative data to highlight the importance of considering oversight as a series of actions designed to serve both as a symbol and signal in the American separation of powers system. Our exploratory analysis suggests that Congress oversees the executive branch much more frequently and in more ways than previously considered by scholars.
Subject
Public Administration,Sociology and Political Science,History
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