Member Of Congress Arnold Summary

According to Arnold the logic of congressional action can be explained through examining the calculations, actions, and interactions of citizens, coalition leaders, and legislators. Arnolds theory assumes that members of Congress vigorously want to be re-elected. Henceforth since re-election is the dominant or threshold goal legislators consider this first and foremost before deciding what other legislative goals and policies to pursue. Arnold notes that Legislators decisions are partly constrained by the actions of coalition leaders; And in part by their predictions of how the citizens will view such decisions. As well as considering these factors he must also consider himself as being a partly free agent. This tells us that member of Congress …show more content…
The magnitude of a specific cost or benefit increases the chances that it will be perceived by the citizens. For example few citizens would notice a small .01 percent increase in sales tax. Whereas a whole dollar increase would certainly turn heads and motivate citizens speak out. The timing of a specific cost or benefit is also noteworthy. Citizens are more apt to notice an early order as opposed to a late order effect. This is because late order effects usually take a long time to manifest and may do so gradually over time. Early order effects happen almost immediately thus effecting the people immediately. The proximity of a citizen to others who are similarily effected by a cost or benefit is also another factor. People who live and work together discover the mutual interests more easily than people who never interact with other who have similar interests. This makes it easier to mobilize on issues that affect the community. Arnold argues that proximity is also a factor to which groups or geographic effects are narrowly concentrated. He says geographic concentration has an obvious impact. People who work and socialize together usually care about most of the same issues. Which means word travels fast when policy that might affect them arises. The impact …show more content…
I base this assumption on the fact that regulatory policies are designed to protect the general public from abuses by private and public sector. Much of the same is true for Fire Alarm oversight. This type of oversight emphasizes the need for the regulatory agencies by establishing such agencies to guard against abuses as well as to provide remedies when it can. Congressional oversight and regulatory policies go hand in hand. It would be hard to imagine one without the other.
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