The Test of Time: Coping with Legislative Term Limits

The Test of Time moves beyond the realm of speculation and punditry to analyze the observable and measurable effects of the early experiences of state legislature term limits. Setting the agenda for future term limits studies, this volume brings together fifteen outstanding empirical studies, contributed by top political scientists and state policymakers. Five of the essays—case studies of key states—offer depth and context for understanding the shifting institutional changes wrought by term limits at the state level. The remaining chapters develop these findings through cross-state comparisons that examine how legislatures, legislators, and political linkages—such as lobbying and electoral competition—have been affected by the imposition of legislative term limits. Supported by a comprehensive annotated bibliography of term limits literature and a history of the term limits movement, this work will be an enduring resource for academics teaching courses in state government and practitioners either experiencing term limits or preparing for term limits to take effect.