Abstract
Lame-duck sessions of Congress have become increasingly common of late. Such sessions are marked by higher levels of ideological and participatory shirking among departing members, creating a more uncertain legislative environment. I investigate the consequences of such shirking on coalition formation and roll-call behavior. I analyze House roll-call votes held in the 12 congresses that convened lame-duck sessions from 1969 to 2010 (91st to 111th Congresses) to assess how roll-call behavior changes across sessions. I find statistically significant, but subtle changes across sessions consistent with claims regarding greater uncertainty in roll-call voting in lame-duck sessions.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Pages (from-to) | 571-592 |
| Journal | Legislative Studies Quarterly/Wiley |
| State | Published - Nov 2013 |