Information as a Factor in Congressional Politics

There are competing claims about the role of information and expertise in congressional politics, and empirically-based definitions and categorizations differ. Much of the empirical literature suggests that features of congressional structure shape the value of information in the policy process, but the implications of this institutional approach have received little attention. Recent formal models are addressing this issue by examining how such institutional arrangements as amendment rules might affect the acquisition and use of information. Twelve propositions about information from the empirical and the theoretical literatures on Congress have a common message and provide grounds for comparison of the two traditions.