Policymaking in Times of Crisis: Discursive Dynamics in U.S. Congress, 1960-1990

The United States saw a series of economic crises that severely impacted the economy between 1970 and 1980. While the crises and the subsequent presidency of Ronald Reagan have been studied extensively, a perspective from U.S. Congress is lacking. This paper analyzes Congressional discourse between 1960 and 1990 and how the crises of the 1970s have affected it. It looks at how Congressional institutions as well as ideological factors have contributed to and structured the economic discourse during these years. The paper draws on a temporal concept of crisis and the “strategies of action”-approach to model the dynamics of Congressional discourse through the 1970s and 1980s. By analyzing Congressional speech transcripts, this paper tracks the salience of policy instruments in floor speeches. The results show that, in stable years, economic discourse is structured primarily by Congressional committees. In years of crisis, their structuring power weakens, emphasizing the power of ideology and personal background. This paper makes the following contributions: (1) It shows that Congressional discourse in the stable 1960s and late 1980s is structured by its institutions. (2) During the economically unstable 1970s, discourse is additionally structured by Republicans and highly educated representatives, who talk significantly more about issues of taxation than most others.