Legislative structure: Rules, precedents, and jurisdictions

In this essay, I review and critique the scholarly literature about rules a nd other structural arrangements in Congress. My focus is on empirical rese arch that has been informed by rational choice theory. I emphasize three ca tegories of rules-committee jurisdictions, leadership prerogatives, and flo or procedure. An implication is that the forces shaping procedural politics vary depending on the aspect of congressional structure under consideratio n. Structural features within Congress also reflect different levels of ins titutionalization; procedures often begin as informal practice, gradually b ecome precedent, and eventually are codified as formal rules. Finally, many important aspects of structural development in Congress exhibit significan t path dependencies.