COMMITTEE ADVANCEMENT OF WOMEN AND BLACKS IN CONGRESS - A TEST OF THERESPONSIBLE LEGISLATOR THESIS

Getting ahead in Congress appears to require certain qualities: a desi re to follow congressional norms, a willingness to compromise and buil d coalitions, and a general understanding of playing the political gam e. Concerns about institutional advancement have particular significan ce for women, minorities, and other groups typically excluded from the legislative process. In the crucial arena of committee assignments, M asters has outlined the electoral, institutional, and personal charact eristics necessary for advancement. Using data on the committee assign ments of women and black members since 1965, this paper tests Masters' hypotheses. Findings suggest political backgrounds, electoral safety and party loyalty lead to advancement; long tenure and ideological mod eration do not. Reasons for and implications of these findings are ass essed.