When Norms Are Not Enough: Obstruction and Rule Change in Three Historic Legislatures

• In Event: Legislative Rules and Design

Brief Overview

I use a speech-based measure of obstruction in legislatures to show that rule changes can either codify or disrupt existing norms of behavior. When rules codify rather than disrupt existing norms, we underestimate the effect of rules on behavior.

Author

• Mitchell Bosley, University of Michigan