Foreign Junkets or Learning to Legislate? Generational Changes in the International Travel Patterns of House Members, 1977–2012

Abstract

AbstractIn the aftermath of the polarization that has taken hold in Congress, some have pointed to the changing social connectedness of Congressional members as a possible cause, effect, or both. In this article, we take an initial look at this element of the story by analyzing one aspect of change over time in what are known as CODELs. We outline our data collection of these foreign trips taken by House members in two distinct periods and show how the use, users, and locations of these trips have changed. Among other changes, we find that more members are traveling than in the past, but that these trips are on average much shorter in duration. As a result, members of Congress are spending less time together during foreign travel, potentially reducing the opportunities for building relationships among them.