The Continental Congress and the Origins of the U.S. House of Representatives

Abstract

"The primary role of committees in legislatures is to reduce decision making costs through a substantive and managerial division of labor. The use of committees, of course, is not limited to legislatures. Committees are used under a variety of circumstances, from local to international organizations and in public and private settings, in each instance, the primary advantage of a committee Is to reduce decision making costs for the broader organization. These costs take various forms, ranging from those imposed by the institution for building an agenda to those that are a part of searching for and processing information."