Legislative Television as Political Advertising: A Public Choice Approach

Using theoretical and statistical models, along with several new sets of empirical results, this book examines the impact of legislative television on the political process in the United States. It examines the relationship between political-economic variables and the tendency to adopt/support live television in the U.S. Congress, the impact of television on the length of U.S. House and Senate sessions, the use of parliamentary procedures in the presence (absence) of television cameras, and the role that legislative television has played in improving incumbents' success rates in primary/general federal elections. Where possible, the economic costs to taxpayers of legislators' use of television cameras, in order to enhance their re-election prospects, are also considered.