Navigating Term Limits: The Careers of State Legislators

Navigating Term Limits: The Careers of State Legislators
by: Jordan Butcher (Author)
Publisher:Palgrave Macmillan
Publication Date: 1 Nov. 2023
Language:English
Print Length:279 pages
ISBN-10:3031394224
ISBN-13:9783031394225
Book Description
This book considers whether term limits help curb careerism in the US state legislatures. Term limits are popular among the public and have been overwhelmingly successful once on the ballot. Despite this, very little is known about the long-term effects of these institutional rules. If term limits were sold to the public to remove entrenched incumbents from office, how do they alter the careers of legislators and what are the implications? Butcher suggests that term limits do not end careers but instead, lawmakers have become more creative in their pursuits. She finds that the presence of term limits has created a new career system unique to those states that have limits. In each chapter, there is a quantitative analysis, followed by qualitative interviews to better understand the underlying motivations of members.
About the Author