Synopses & Reviews
The Test of Time moves beyond the realm of speculation and punditry to analyze the observable and measurable effects of the early experiences of state legislature term limits. Setting the agenda for future term limits studies, this volume brings together fifteen outstanding empirical studies, contributed by top political scientists and state policymakers. Five of the essays case studies of key states offer depth and context for understanding the shifting institutional changes wrought by term limits at the state level. The remaining chapters develop these findings through cross-state comparisons that examine how legislatures, legislators, and political linkages such as lobbying and electoral competition have been affected by the imposition of legislative term limits. Supported by a comprehensive annotated bibliography of term limits literature and a history of the term limits movement, this work will be an enduring resource for academics teaching courses in state government and practitioners either experiencing term limits or preparing for term limits to take effect.
Synopsis
Includes bibliographical references (p. [263]-274) and index.
Table of Contents
Introduction : clues from term limits at two / Rick Farmer, John David Rausch, and John C. Green -- I. Experiencing term limits. California : the new amateur politics / Richard A. Clucas -- Michigan : the end is near / James M. Penning -- Maine : the cutting edge of term limits / Matthew C. Moen and Kenneth T. Palmer -- Colorado : lots of commotion, limited consequences / John A. Straayer -- Comparing term limits in cities and states / Norman R. Luttberg -- II. Comparing legislative performance across states. Term limits and legislator performance / Thad Kousser -- Views from the bridge : legislative leaders' perceptions of institutional power in the stormy wake of term limits / George Peery and Thomas H. Little -- The impact of term limits on legislative leadership / Jennifer Drage Bower ... et al. -- The unintended effects of term limits on the career paths of state legislators / Richard J. Powell -- The effects of term limits on representation : why so few women? / Robert A. Bernstein and Anita Chadha -- III. Comparing political linkages across states. The real costs of term limits : comparative study of competition and electoral costs / Dalene Allebaugh and Neil Pinney --Term limits implementation in the news : superficial or biased? / Rick Farmer and Nathan S. Bigelow -- Limited citizenship? : knowing and contacting state legislators after term limits / Richard G. Niemi and Lynda W. Powell -- Lobbying under limits : interest group perspectives on the effects of term limits in state legislatures / Joel Thompson and Gary Moncrief -- Understanding the term limits movement / John David Rausch -- Annotated bibliography / Rebecca L. Noah.