5 - The Most (and Least) Collaborative Members of Congress

Summary

Chapter 5 examines how collaboration varies across members. Nearly every member of Congress collaborates to some degree, but there is significant variation with some members coauthoring one or two policy proposals in a Congress and others forming relationships with fifty colleagues or more. Examining this variation reveals clear patterns in the characteristics of the most and least collaborative members and illustrates how collaboration is a function of a member's incentives and opportunities. Members who interested in policymaking are incentivized to collaborate more, and those who are well connected in Congress have more opportunities. Members representing competitive districts are more likely to collaborate with the other party, while those representing partisan districts work with their co-partisans. Consistent with social exchange theory, members collaborate to support their electoral and policy goals but are constrained by their ability to identify a worthwhile partner.