Partisan differences and managing the legislative process in the post-reform House

Conventional scholarship on majority parties does not differentiate between how Democratic and Republican parties will exercise power once they win control of the government. Simultaneously, we know that Democrats and Republicans differ in very apparent ways. Such a puzzle begets the central question of my dissertation: do Democratic and Republican House majorities differ in how they manage the legislative process? More specifically, do Republican majorities more frequently employ procedures that limit debate and amendments on bills as compared with Democratic ones? If so, then what is it about Republicans that would make them more likely to do so, relative to earlier Democratic majorities? If not, then what makes Democratic majorities more likely to place restrictive procedures on bills than Republicans?; I argue that Republicans are more likely to employ restrictive procedures on bills because this party has historically been a top-down party, relative to the Democrats. Top-down parties have four features that make them more likely to employ such procedures. These parties: (1) have clearly defined command structures in which leaders can bind policies and norms to their subordinates; (2) can effectively employ the "whip" system and apply party discipline to disobedient members; (3) view the other party in adversarial terms and identify the other party as a threat; and (4) can more effectively resolve collection action problems than bottom-up parties.; I test whether these majorities differ on the uses of restrictive rules, the Suspension of the Rules procedure, and the conditions under which floor managers are more likely to offer amendments to bills during the post-reform period. I find that these House majorities differ in three ways. First, Republican majorities are more likely to direct the Rules Committee to place rules which restrict debate and disallow most amendments on bills. Further, Republican majorities are more likely to consider bills on the floor under the Suspension of the Rules procedure, which allows only 40 minutes of floor debate and no amendments when invoked. Finally, Republican majorities are more likely to direct floor managers to amend bills to stave off amendments from those who want to alter their bills.