Descriptive and Substantive Representation in Congress: Evidence from 80,000 Congressional Inquiries

A vast literature debates the efficacy of descriptive representation in legislatures. Though studies argue it influences how communities are represented through constituency service, they are limited since legislators' service activities are unobserved. Using Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) r...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:American journal of political science 2019-07, Vol.63 (3), p.644-659
Main Authors: Lowande, Kenneth, Ritchie, Melinda, Lauterbach, Erinn
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Constituents
Efficacy
Ethnic groups
Freedom of information
Government agencies
Legislators
Legislatures
Leverage
Minority groups
Policy implementation
Political communication
Political representation
Representation
Veterans
Women
Working women
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Summary:A vast literature debates the efficacy of descriptive representation in legislatures. Though studies argue it influences how communities are represented through constituency service, they are limited since legislators' service activities are unobserved. Using Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests, we collected 88,000 records of communication between members of the U.S. Congress and federal agencies during the 108th-113th Congresses. These legislative interventions allow us to examine members' "follow-through" with policy implementation. We find that women, racial/ethnic minorities, and veterans are more likely to work on behalf of constituents with whom they share identities. Including veterans offers leverage in understanding the role of political cleavages and shared experiences. Our findings suggest that shared experiences operate as a critical mechanism for representation, that a lack of political consensus is not necessary for substantive representation, and that the causal relationships identified by experimental work have observable implications in the daily work of Congress.
ISSN:0092-5853
1540-5907
DOI:10.1111/ajps.12443