Books, Articles & Panels
Below you can find a list of relevant books, articles, and panels discussing legislative oversight.
Oversight Overviews
- Keeping tabs on the executive (2023) by Jennifer Selin and Grace Moore
- Why is Congressional Oversight Important, and How Can It Be Done Well? (2023) — podcast by Kevin Kosar, American Enterprise Institute
Congressional Oversight and Investigations – New Developments and Outlook for the 117th Congress (2021) – podcast by Federalist Society’s Article I Initiative with 5 oversight experts
- Using Congressional Investigations to Effect Change-video presentation (2020) by Elise Bean
- Congressional Overspeech (2020) by Josh Chafetz
- Improving Bipartisanship in High-Profile Congressional Investigations Panel (2019) by Federalist Society Article I Initiative
- Defining Congressional Oversight and Measuring Its Effectiveness (2018) by Senator Carl Levin and Elise Bean
- Financial Exposure: Carl Levin’s Senate Investigations into Finance and Tax Abuse (2018) by Elise Bean
- Congressional Government Oversight Panel (2018) by Brookings Institution
- Constitution: Oversight by Congress is Critical (2017) by Betsy Wright Hawkings
Oversight Books, Articles, and Panels
- Congressional Investigations and Oversight: Case Studies and Analysis, Lance Cole and Stanley M. Brand (Carolina Academic Press, 2023)
- The Role of Executive Branch Lawyers and the Presidential Records Act Compliance (April 25, 2023), panel sponsored by the Federalist Society
- Investigating Oversight: Why congressional hearings are bad and how they can be made great again – The American Prospect (May 27, 2021)
- Civil Enforcement of Congressional Authorities (2021) hearing before House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Intellectual Property, and the Internet
Why and How Faculty Should Participate in U.S. Policy Making (2021) by Michael A. Fisher and Lindsay K. Milliken
- Congress’ Authority to Influence and Control Executive Branch Agencies (2021) by Congressional Research Service
- Members of Congress Job Description (including oversight) (Congressional Management Foundation 2018)
- Using FOIA and public databases to track down DoD contracts (Muckrock, August 24, 2018)
- GOP Senator Grassley says oversight is fundamental for a functioning federal government (The Hill, July 10, 2018)
- Financial Exposure: Carl Levin’s Senate Investigations into Finance and Tax Abuse, Elise Bean (Palgrave MacMillan, 2018)
- Congress’s Constitution: Legislative Authority and the Separation of Powers, Josh Chafetz (Yale University Press, 2017)
- Congress: The sleeping watchdog (The Hill, Dec. 6, 2017)
- Investigating the Financial Crisis (pdf) by Elise J. Bean (2016)
- Investigating the President: Congressional Checks on Presidential Power, Douglas L. Kriner and Eric Schickler (Princeton University Press 2016)
- The American Senate: An Insider’s History, Neil MacNeil and Richard A. Baker (Oxford University Press 2013), Chapters 9 & 10
- The Investigator: Fifty Years of Uncovering the Truth, Terry Lenzner (Blue Rider Press, Penguin Group, 2013)
- The Last Great Senate: Courage and Statesmanship In Times of Crisis, Ira Shapiro (Perseus Books Group, 2012)
- Congressional Investigations of the Department of Justice, 1920-2012: History, Law, and Practice (pdf) (Congressional Research Service, November 5, 2012)
- Congress Investigates: A Critical and Documentary History, editors Roger A. Bruns, David L. Hostetter, and Raymond W. Smock (Facts on File, 2011), Volumes 1-2
- Oversight: Representing the Interests of Blacks and Latinos in Congress, Michael D. Minta (Oxford University Press 2011)
- The Waxman Report: How Congress Really Works by Congressman Henry Waxman (Twelve, 2009)
Legislative Oversight of Intelligence Activities: The U.S. Experience, Senate Report 103-88 (1994), by the U.S. Senate Select Committee on Intelligence
- Men of Zeal: A Candid Inside Story of the Iran-Contra Hearings, U.S. Sens. William S. Cohen and George J. Mitchell (Penguin Books, 1989)
- The Power to Probe: A Study of Congressional Investigations, James Hamilton (Random House, 1976)
- The Truman Committee: A Study in Congressional Responsibility, Donald H. Riddle (Rutgers University Press, 1964)
- Grand Inquest: The Story of Congressional Investigations, Telford Taylor (Ballantine Books, 1961)
Legislative Studies Quarterly - Special Issue on CORD Data
- Ulterior Oversight: Minority Party Investigations and the Politics of Exclusion by Jordan M. Butcher and Cody A. Drolc (LSQ, 2026)
- The House Appropriations Committee Surveys Investigations Staff and the Arc of Congressional Competence by Matthew Dull (LSQ, 2026)
- Controlling for Oversight in Studies of Oversight by Jenn S. Kim, Benjamin Kinnard, John Patty (LSQ, 2026)
- The Purpose‐Driven Congress: Measuring and Explaining Legislative Outcomes of House Investigations by Claire Leavitt (LSQ, 2026)
- Partisan Knowledge Claims in Congressional Oversight by Kenneth Lowande and Mark A. Weiss (LSQ, 2026)
- Congressional Oversight Reports as Legislative Branch Work Product and Research Resource by Grace Moore, David Rapallo, and Sean Theriault (LSQ, 2026)
- The Legislative Effectiveness of Congressional Oversight Reports by Sean Theriault (LSQ, 2026)