February 7, 2005

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February 7, 2005

• Whos here?
• Matthews
• What is representation?
• Congress as an institution for Representation

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Whos Here?
Meredith Fascett Patrick Purcell Rebekah
Rodriguez Lynn Robert Schwartz Rosemary
Marotta Ryan Raffaelli Sara Dawes Scott
Gallaway Seth Pendleton Shawn Murphy Shermon
Williams Stephen Aldridge Tim Heis Tony
Pipa Trenton Hamilton Will Fitzgerald Yasmina
Vinci Zeb Portanova
Jeremy Neuner John A. Atilano II John
Cadoux Joyce Hayes Jules Delaune Justin
Oliver Kara Stein Kassia Yanosek Kate
Ferguson Katherine Elliott Kent Grasso Kevin
Crawford Kwang Ryu Lance Jasper Lance
Pierce Larry Harris, Jr. Liz Montoya Lonsdale
Green Lori Ehrlich Luke Leininger

• Annette Foster
• Aurora Torres
• Ben Kidder
• Beth Trask
• Betsy Hosler
• Brad Rosen
• Brooke Brody-Waite
• Carie Lemack
• Carolyn Kousky
• Christopher Reichert
• Cynthia Smith
• Dan McKee
• Edward Novakoff
• Elizabeth Walentin
• Ellen Knebel
• Francis Spangenberg
• Jason Campbell
• Jason Jennaru
• Jeff Adler

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Matthews

• All Politics is Local
• Its Better to Receive than to Give
• Dance with the One that Brung Ya
• Keep your Enemies in Front of You
• Dont Get Mad Dont Get Even Get Ahead
• Leave No Shot Unanswered
• Hang a Lantern on your Problem

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What is Representation?
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The Big Questions

• What is truth?
• What is justice?
• What is fair?
• Who decides?

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Perceptions of the ConstituencyRichard F.
Fenno, Jr.
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Concentric Constituencies

• Geographic
• Reelection
• Primary
• Personal

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Geographical Constituency

• The District
• Physical specified by boundaries
• Internal Demographic and Political Variables
  socioeconomic status, ethnicity, ideology,
  partisanship, religion, diversity, etc.
• Heterogeneity v. Homogeneity variable that seems
  to determine members perceptions of their
  districts

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Reelection Constituency

• The Supporters
• Who she thinks will vote for her
• Reference points in determining reelection
  constituency
• Cross-Sectional
• Longitudinal
• Partisans, Cross-Party, Least-Likely
• Last Time v. This Time
• Challenger has greatest potential for altering
  the size and composition of reelection
  constituency
• Issues can alter reelection constituency

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Primary Constituency

• The Strongest Supporters
• Weak supporters follow routines (straight party)
  or are temporary (waiting for alternative)
• Strong supporters more political activity, will
  not support any challenger
• Difficult to delineate primary constituency in
  some cases, members who recently emerged from a
  primary election can determine their primary
  constituency

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Personal Constituency

• The Intimates
• Few individuals closest advisors and confidants,
  sometimes a spouse (Kitchen Cabinet)
• Usually the people who have been by an official
  since their first race
• Thought of as friends

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Conceptions of Representation
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Policy/Issues

• Style
• Delegate follow the mandate of constituents
• Trustee exercise independent judgment
• Politico switches roles or may engage be a
  delegate and trustee at same time
• Focus
• The constituency that is being represented

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Policy/Issue Studies

• Wahlke et al (1952) divide members into trustee,
  delegate, and politico
• Miller Stokes (1958) attempt to link
  constituent opinions to legislators behavior
• Social Welfare Vote by Party
• Civil Rights Delegate Role
• Foreign Affairs Deference to Executive
• Fenno (1977) home style members convince
  constituents that they represent them regardless
  of the extent of agreement

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Policy/Issue Studies Continued

• Browne (1995) constituents influence vote on
  agricultural legislation
• Hall (1987, 1996) district influences legislator
  membership on committees

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Service/Allocational

• Obtaining projects that help the district (pork)
  or interceding in the bureacracy (cutting
  through red tape)
• Motives
• Sense of duty
• Grateful constituents Reelection
• Studies on impact of pork for reelection mixed
• Issues necessary for constituents to have help?,
  votes for district at expense of nation?

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Symbolic/Descriptive

• Legislator as symbol that represents public
• Representation may extend beyond geographic
  boundaries of the district
• Individual Examples female legislator as
  advocate for women nationally, minority
  legislator as advocate for minorities nationally
• Group Example legislative caucuses

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Collective

• Represent constituents with a more collective
  view
• political parties
• Congress as representative of the nation as a
  whole
• May lead to conflict with district constituents

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The Great Divide

• Trustee Representation (Burkean)
• Delegate Representation

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Congressional Procedures and the Policy Process

• Walter J. Oleszek

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• The Constitutional Context
• Limited Government
• Separation of Powers
• Checks and Balances
• Federalism

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Functions of Rules and Procedures
Stability (and predictability) Legitimacy
Division of Labor Protection of Minority
Rights Conflict Resolution Distribution
of Power
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Rules and Policy Making in Congress
Procedure and Policy Procedures affect
outcomes. Procedural moves express policy
decisions. The nature of policy determines the
use of procedure. Procedural expertise helps
members impact policy. Conventional versus
Unconventional Lawmaking Im just a bill
Precedents and Folkways Precedents the
accumulated past decisions on matters of
procedure Folkways unwritten norms of
behavior that members are expected to observe.
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Congressional Decision Making Decentralized
Power Structure Political and structural
realities More than 200 committees and
subcommittees Parties can provide cohesion.
Multiple Decision Points Bargaining and
Coalition Building Logrolling Compromise N
onlegislative Favors The Congressional
Cycle Two-Year Deadline
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House versus Senate The Big Three Size
of Body Size of District Length of Term
Complexity of Rules
House More rules and precedent constrict members Subordination of the individual to the necessities of the whole Key members impact legislation. Majority rule Senate Rules maximize freedom of expression... More personal and individualistic All Senators participate actively. Often slower Supermajoritarian
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House versus Senate continued Policy
Incubation Specialists versus
Generalists Distribution of Power More
even in Senate Similarities Equal
power Lawmaking, oversight and
representation Heavy workloads Decentralized
committee and party structures Dependence on
staff
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Pressures on Members President Executive
Branch The Fourth Estate Constituent
Pressures Washington Lobbyists
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Credits

• Adrian Rodriguez Alex Theodoridis
• Presentation based on Weisberg, Herbert F., Eric
  S. Heberlig and Lisa M. Campoli, Classics in
  Congressional Politics What is Representation?,
  Weisberg et al eds. (Glenview Longman 1999) pp.
  68-82.
• Image on Cover from The Architect of the Capitol
  http//www.aoc.gov/cc/capitol/c_wf_1.cfm
• Concepts of Representation slide based on Table
  5.1 in Weisberg et al, p. 74.
• Presentation based on Fenno, Jr., Richard F.,
  Home Style House Members in their Districts
  (Glenview Little, Brown Company 1978),
  Perceptions of the Constituency, pp. 1-30.
• Image on Cover from US Environmental Protection
  Agency http//www.epa.gov/oaintrnt/images/water_ho
  me.jpg