Accountability Reconsidered

"How does political accountability function in the contemporary United States? Leading experts provide insights into different parts of accountability relationships involving voters, interest groups, legislators, and government bureaucracy. In doing so, the volume considers how social media, political polarization, and increased wealth concentration affect accountability and policymaking"--

1. Introduction CHARLES CAMERON, BRANDICE CANES-WRONE, SANFORD C. GORDON and GREGORY A. HUBER; Part I. Candidate Evaluation and Selection: 2. The Importance of Issue Representation in a Polarized Congress JOSHUA D. CLINTON, MICHAEL W. SANCES and MARY CATHERINE SULLIVAN; 3. Can Citizens Assess Policies Based on Programs' Costs and Benefits? The Role of Yardsticks and Contextual Information in Democratic Accountability ERIC M. PATASHNIK, PATRICK TUCKER and ALAN S. GERBER; 4. Logic with Polarized Parties, Changing Media, and Motivated Reasoners PATRICK J. EGAN and MARKUS PRIOR; 5. Groups, Parties, and Policy Demands in House Nominations KATHLEEN BAWN, KNOX BROWN, ANGELA X. OCAMPO, SHAWN PATTERSON, JR., JOHN L. RAY and JOHN ZALLER; Part II. The Media and the Informational Environment: 6. Local Newspapers and Ideological Accountability in US House Elections BRANDICE CANES-WRONE and MICHAEL R. KISTNER; 7. Inequality, or Invisibility and Inaccuracy? How Local Newspapers Cover the Occupational Backgrounds of Congressional Incumbents and Challengers NICHOLAS CARNES; 8. Congressional Accountability in the Contemporary Media Environment: Arguments, Data, and Methods GREGORY A. HUBER and PATRICK TUCKER; Part III. Policymaking, Information Provision, and Accountability: 9. Coalition Leadership in the Polarized Congress FRANCES E. LEE; 10. Fire Alarms and Democratic Accountability CHARLES M. CAMERON and SANFORD C. GORDON; 11. Achieving Accountability: Aligning Institutions and Behavior JOHN W. PATTY; Part IV. Outside the Public Eye? Private Interests and Policymaking: 12. Legislator Advocacy on Behalf of Constituents and Corporate Donors: A Case Study of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission ELEANOR NEFF POWELL, DEVIN JUDGE-LORD, and JUSTIN GRIMMER; 13. Organized Interests, Policymaking, and Congressional Accountability LEE DRUTMAN; 14. Administrative Politics with Clear Stakes and Venues: Strategic Commenting upon Federal Reserve Debit Card Regulations DANIEL CARPENTER and BRIAN LIBGOBer; 15. Conclusion CHARLES M. CAMERON, BRANDICE CANES-WRONE, SANFORD C. GORDON and GREGORY HUBER.