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U.S. House Members in Their Constituencies: An Exploration

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  • Fenno, Richard F.

Abstract

The paper addresses itself to two questions left underdeveloped in the literature on representative-constituent relations. First, what does the representative see when he or she sees a constituency? Second, what consequences do these perceptions have for his or her behavior? The paper reverses the normal Washington-oriented view of representative-constituent relations and approaches both questions by examining the representative in his or her constituency. The paper's observations are drawn from the author's travels with seventeen U.S. House members while they were working in their districts. Member perceptions of their constituency are divided into the geographical, the reelection, the primary and the personal constituencies. Attention is then given to the home style of House members. Home style is treated as an amalgam of three elements – allocation of resources, presentation of self, explanation of Washington activity. An effort is made to relate home style to the various perceived constituencies. Some observations are made relating constituency-oriented research to the existing literature on representation.

Suggested Citation

  • Fenno, Richard F., 1977. "U.S. House Members in Their Constituencies: An Exploration," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 71(3), pages 883-917, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:cup:apsrev:v:71:y:1977:i:03:p:883-917_26
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    Cited by:

    1. Floralba Padrón Pardo & Magdalena Correa Henao, 2018. "¿El Estado Constitucional en Jaque? Tomo I. Los retos del componente democrático," Books, Universidad Externado de Colombia, Facultad de Derecho, number 1041, October.
    2. Balles, Patrick & Matter, Ulrich & Stutzer, Alois, 2023. "Television market size and political accountability in the U.S. House of Representatives," European Journal of Political Economy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).
    3. Wellhausen, Rachel L, 2023. "Waste Not, Want Not: Tariffs as Environmental Protection," Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, Working Paper Series qt40m4179x, Institute on Global Conflict and Cooperation, University of California.
    4. Myunghoon Kang, 2017. "Representation, sophisticated voting, and the size of the gridlock region," Journal of Theoretical Politics, , vol. 29(4), pages 623-646, October.
    5. Zoltán Fazekas & Martin Ejnar Hansen, 2022. "Incentives for non-participation: absence in the United Kingdom House of Commons, 1997–2015," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 191(1), pages 51-73, April.
    6. John W. Patty, 2008. "Equilibrium Party Government," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 52(3), pages 636-655, July.

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