This study investigates why Congress fragments implementation power by policy area. We argue that divided party government motivates fragmentation as a strategy to enhance legislative control over bureaucracy.
Data & Methods
We developed a novel measure of policy implementation fragmentation (1947–2008) and analyzed its relationship with separation-of-powers structures using quantitative analysis.
Key Findings
• Divided party government strongly correlates with fragmented implementation power
• This association drives the long-term increase in fragmentation since WWII
• Legislative coalitions fragment implementation more under conditions of high uncertainty about remaining majority status
The results demonstrate how legislative strategies adapt to institutional constraints and political dynamics.
| Divided Government and the Fragmentation of American Law was authored by Sean Farhang and Miranda Yaver. It was published by Wiley in AJPS in 2016. |
