Burdett A. (University of Kansas, USA) Loomis 
The U.S. Senate : From Deliberation to Dysfunction [PDF ebook] 
From Deliberation to Dysfunction

With an avalanche of scholarship on the House, it can be tough to balance out coverage in a typical Congress course with appropriate readings on the ‘slow institution.’ Offering top-notch research geared to an undergraduate audience, Loomis’ new edited volume represents a broad picture of the contemporary Senate and how it came to be. While addressing issues of delay, obstruction, and polarization in a variety of ways, the scholars in this collection are not proposing a reform agenda, but instead, explore the historical and political contexts for how difficult it can be to change a non-majoritarian, highly individualistic institution. Students will come away from these chapters with a much greater appreciation of the Senate’s unique combination of tradition, precedent, and constitutional mandate.