Working Relationships: Content, Characteristics, and Cosponsorship in the U.S. House of Representatives

27 Pages Posted: 27 Aug 2013

See all articles by Nicole Kalaf-Hughes

Nicole Kalaf-Hughes

Bowling Green State University

Matthew Pietryka

Florida State University - Department of Political Science

Date Written: 2013

Abstract

Theories of position-taking, policy-making, and log-rolling all suggest that cosponsorship patterns should vary across policy topics, yet studies of cosponsorship have ignored this potential variation. We assess this variation using a network analysis of cosponsorship in the 108th U.S. House. We find that network polarization varies significantly across policy topics, and that network polarization is often distinct from partisan polarization. Likewise, policy topics vary in their resemblance of small-world networks--an important predictor of legislative success. We show that the link between legislator centrality and legislative success only occurs in policy networks that resemble small worlds. The results suggest that analyses pooling policy topics will overlook important heterogeneity in patterns of cosponsorship and may overlook corresponding heterogeneity in the effects of these patterns.

Keywords: cosponsorship, networks

Suggested Citation

Kalaf-Hughes, Nicole and Pietryka, Matthew, Working Relationships: Content, Characteristics, and Cosponsorship in the U.S. House of Representatives (2013). APSA 2013 Annual Meeting Paper, American Political Science Association 2013 Annual Meeting, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2301566

Nicole Kalaf-Hughes (Contact Author)

Bowling Green State University ( email )

Matthew Pietryka

Florida State University - Department of Political Science ( email )

Talahasse, FL 30306
United States