Kevin Kosar, Senior Fellow at American Enterprise Institute - Reforming Congress

Описание: #Congress #Reform #nonpartisan #interview #Sunwater

About Kevin Kosar:
Kosar is a resident scholar at the American Enterprise Institute (AEI), where he studies the US Congress, congressional oversight, the administrative state, American politics, and the US Postal Service.

Before joining AEI, Dr. Kosar was at the R Street Institute, where he served as vice president of policy, vice president of research partnerships, and senior fellow and director of the Governance Project. He also cofounded and still codirects the Legislative Branch Capacity Working Group (https://www.LegBranch.org). The project is dedicated to assessing Congress’ capacity to perform its constitutional duties and collaborating on ideas to strengthen the legislative branch.

Earlier, Dr. Kosar spent more than a decade working for the Congressional Research Service, where he focused on a wide range of public administration issues. He has taught public policy at New York University and lectured on public administration at Metropolitan College of New York.

Timestamps:
0:20 - Background
3:01 - CRS vs. private think tank experience
7:26 - What policy areas do you follow?
10:20 - What fundamental questions are you studying relating to Congress? What are your findings?
17:24 - How is the congressional capacity framework being used to identify distinct areas of improvement within Congress?
23:08 - What do you think the role of congressional hearings should be for Congress?
28:53 - If House and Senate leadership are the major drivers of legislation, what opportunities are available for committees to have a more constructive role in the information gathering and decision making process?
32:30 - What problems and solutions do you see relating to personal office staff and committee staff?
38:22 - What is the best way to increase institutional knowledge into House and Senate personal member offices? Should support be given to personal staff or should it be directed to the Congressional Research Service (and other legislative agencies)?
40:12 - If committees had an increase of their budgets, how do you think committees would direct their resources?
43:44 - Considering that Congresses start over every two years, what kinds of institutions can be created or supported to promote long term improvement?
[Lightning Round]
50:30 - What do you think "congressional representation" should mean?
53:49 - How would your ideal Congress allocate its time?
57:02 - How should debate, deliberation, or dialogue occur or be structured in Congress?
58:30 - What fundamental institutional improvements should Congress make within 50 years?
1:00:30 - What book or article most shaped your thinking with respect to congressional reform?
1:02:10 - What plans do you have for your research over the long term?

The Sunwater Institute is a nonprofit, non-partisan think tank with a mission to strengthen the foundations of democracy through interdisciplinary science, technology, and open dialogue. Sunwater’s vision is a society, founded on the principles of individual liberty, striving toward its maximum potential. For more information, visit https://www.sunwater.org​​.