Vocal outbursts and extended speakership elections on the House floor often give the impression that members of Congress are unable to cooperate effectively, especially across party lines. This “partisan congress” is the one most Americans think about, but Alison W. Craig provides evidence in her new book The Collaborative Congress that there is a healthy amount of collaboration in the U.S. House, even between Republicans and Democrats. Building upon social exchange theory, Craig argues that Members of Congress will work together or collaborate on legislation if it is mutually beneficial, and bills that benefit from collaboration are more likely to pass and become law.

Craig formulates and substantiates this argument by conducting interviews with Congressional staff who consistently report that Members of Congress believe collaboration enhances the success of bills. To statistically test whether this is the case, Craig examines over 84,000 Dear Colleague Letters (DCLs) sent via Congress's Dear Colleague listserv between 1999 and 2010. Dear Colleague Letters are internal pieces of correspondence sent from at least one Member of Congress to other Members “to announce their work and ask their colleagues to sign on as cosponsors” (45) or aid legislation in other ways. Craig uses these letters as an indicator of the “output