Inside the legislative machine.

• Author: Pound, William T.
• Position: Engines of Democracy: Politics and Policymaking in State Legislatures - Book review

Engines of Democracy: Politics and Policymaking in State Legislatures

By Alan Rosenthal

CQ Press; $34.95; 442 pages

[ILLUSTRATION OMITTED]

Alan Rosenthal has been observing and working with American state legislatures for 40 years. He ranks as one of the most astute and prolific authors on legislatures and specific aspects of the legislative process. As a political scientist, his work tends to be more about politics and process, the human elements of the legislature, and less about "science," although there is no shortage of research and data underlying his observations.

Engines of Democracy, his newest work, is a summation of his decades of observation of the strength and weaknesses of the modem state legislature. The book is flavored with anecdotes about, and observations from, participants in the legislative process.

The book takes its title from the familiar children's story, The Little Engine That Could, which chugged and puffed, "I think I can, I think I can, I think I can," as it pulled the train uphill.

"Much like the little engine, the legislature chugs and puffs along," writes Rosenthal, a professor of public policy and political science at the Eagleton Institute of Politics at Rutgers University. "The legislature (and not the executive or the judiciary) is truly the engine of democracy. It tugs and pulls a heavy load, uphill much of the way. Like the little engine that could, the legislature usually delivers the goods--a mixed bag, depending largely on one's tastes. The legislature, however, upon its arrival is far more likely to be greeted by jeers than by cheers."

Legislatures are often called the first branch of government from their provision in constitutions and are the "representative" component of representative democracy. In recent years, we have seen people around the world striving to achieve more representative governments and effective legislative institutions. And in the last 25 years, state legislatures have become the primary policy innovators in our political system. Yet the research and writing on American legislatures is heavily weighted toward Congress. This may seem counter intuitive, but it is easier to look at a single institution in one location, than to observe 50 institutions spread across the country. That paucity of research makes this book extremely timely and valuable.

Engines of Democracy builds upon Rosenthal's previous books about state legislatures, his work in the legislative modernization...