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One of the most important changes in Congress in decades were the extensive congressional reforms of the 1970s, which moved the congressional budget process into the focus of congressional policy making and shifted decision making away from committees. This overwhelming attention to the federal budget allowed party leaders to emerge as central decision makers. Palazzolo traces the changing nature of the Speaker of the House's role in the congressional budget process from the passage of the Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974, through the 100th Congress in 1988. As the deficit grew and budget politics became more partisan in the 1980s, the Speaker became more involved in policy-related functions, such as setting budget priorities and negotiating budget agreements with Senate leaders and the president. Consequently, the Speaker's role as leader of the institution was subordinated to his role as a party leader.

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Palazzolo (Univ. of Richmond) examines changes in the Speaker of the House's role in the congressional budget process since passage of the landmark 1974 Budget Act. The book provides both a useful history (up to 1988) of changes in congressional budget-making and an interesting theory of House leadership. Palazzolo finds that speakers have generally wielded more influence since the 1974 reforms, evolving from "nurturers" of the budget process to leaders of it. He further contends that speakers' behavior, in both the budget process and their overall duties, is shaped by two critical variables: the political, policy, and institutional contexts they face, and their individual policy preferences and conceptions of leadership. The author supports his theory by contrasting Speaker Tip O'Neill with his successor Jim Wright. The two confronted similar political situations yet responded quite differently--O'Neill as a consensus-builder, Wright as an activist. The explanation, says Palazzolo, is their distinct individual preferences; speakers decide, within contextual constraints, how to do their jobs. The book is well documented and indexed. Recommended for advanced undergraduates, graduate students, and faculty. M. Byrnes; Middle Tennessee State University

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Daniel J. Palazzolo is professor of political science at the University of Richmond.