This study of the effects that term limit laws (restrictions on the number of years for which legislators can serve) have had on politics and policy in American states, combines interviews of capitol insiders with archival records and statistical analysis. The final conclusion--that term limits have had an adverse effect on the professional behavior of legislative members--bears relevance to the current debate over the wisdom of establishing term limits.

This study of the effects that term limit laws (restrictions on the number of years for which legislators can serve) have had on politics and policy in American states, combines interviews of capitol insiders with archival records and statistical analysis. The final conclusion--that term limits have had an adverse effect on the professional behavior of legislative members--bears relevance to the current debate over the wisdom of establishing term limits.

With limited authority over state lawmaking, but ultimate responsibility for the performance of government, how effective are governors in moving their programs through the legislature? This book advances a new theory about what makes chief executives most successful and explores this theory through original data. Thad Kousser and Justin H. Phillips argue that negotiations over the budget, on the one hand, and policy bills on the other are driven by fundamentally different dynamics. They capture these dynamics in models informed by interviews with gubernatorial advisors, cabinet members,...