Although governmental commissions are not the only available source of nonpartisan investigation and policy advice, their prestige, scale of operation, and national importance establish the commission as a unique political body. This volume provides both general discussions of commission communication and specific analyses of commissions.

Part One considers definitional and functional issues inherent in commission studies, and takes up such concerns as the constraints under which these entities operate. Part Two is devoted to case studies of historically, politically, or socially...