Select a Recent Bill in the House or Senate and Trace

question 7

Essay

Select a recent bill in the House or Senate and trace its passage through the chamber. Use the website voteview.com to download relevant votes and assess the influence of partisanship or other factors on the votes taken related to the bill (depending on student experience with data, the instructor can provide these files to students for select bills). Using vote information as well as qualitative sources, do you find evidence of strategic behavior? What factors do you believe best explain the passage (or failure) of the bill?

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Definitions:

Direct Forcing

A conflict resolution strategy where one party aims to satisfy its interests regardless of the impact on others.

Prisoners' Dilemma

A situation in game theory in which two individuals acting in their own self-interest do not produce the optimal outcome for either party.

Repeated Play

This refers to a situation in game theory where a game is played multiple times by the same participants, allowing for strategies that consider past outcomes.