Gender and Collaboration in the U.S. Congress

• In Event: Identity & Representation

Abstract

Collaboration is essential to how Congress works, and members who build large networks are more likely to be effective policymakers. Further, women are more likely to be these effective policymakers, as they tend to be more collaborative and better at advancing legislation (Volden, Wiseman, and Wittmer 2013). Yet less is known about how these same skills benefit constituent service. This research explores the role gender plays in non-legislative representational activities. Building on previous work exploring legislative entrepreneurship, as well as work on the allocation of distributive benefits, this research explores if women are better able to navigate the complex waters of the legislative branch – providing both effective policymaking and effectively advocating for their constituents in front of the bureaucracy. Using communications between members of Congress and federal agencies, I explore first, if women write more frequent letters to federal agencies than their male counterparts, and second, if they are more likely to write with a larger and more diverse collaborative network, indicative of their tendency toward consensus-building behavior. As previous literature highlights the role of inter-branch communication in the policymaking process (Ritchie and You 2019; Lowande et al. 2019), understanding which members work together and how creates a more nuanced understanding of policymaking and representation in the U.S. Congress.

Author

• Nicole Kalaf-Hughes, Bowling Green State University