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

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  • Kenneth Lowande
  • Melinda Ritchie
  • Erinn Lauterbach

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Kenneth Lowande & Melinda Ritchie & Erinn Lauterbach, 2019. "Descriptive and Substantive Representation in Congress: Evidence from 80,000 Congressional Inquiries," American Journal of Political Science, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 63(3), pages 644-659, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:amposc:v:63:y:2019:i:3:p:644-659
    DOI: 10.1111/ajps.12443
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    Cited by:

    1. Tiffany D. Barnes & Mirya R. Holman, 2020. "Essential Work Is Gender Segregated: This Shapes the Gendered Representation of Essential Workers in Political Office," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 101(5), pages 1827-1833, September.
    2. Lindsey Cormack, 2021. "Strength in numbers: The forces of constituency size, legislator identity, and institutional position on veterans’ representation," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 102(6), pages 2849-2862, November.
    3. Brogaard, Jonathan & Gerasimova, Nataliya & Rohrer, Maximilian, 2024. "The effect of female leadership on contracting from Capitol Hill to Main Street," Journal of Financial Economics, Elsevier, vol. 155(C).
    4. Bose, Paul, 2021. "Political (self-)selection and competition: Evidence from U.S. Congressional elections," VfS Annual Conference 2021 (Virtual Conference): Climate Economics 242377, Verein für Socialpolitik / German Economic Association.
    5. Sørensen, Rune J., 2023. "Educated politicians and government efficiency: Evidence from Norwegian local government," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 210(C), pages 163-179.
    6. Christian Salas, 2022. "Representation increases participation: evidence from a reform in Chile," Public Choice, Springer, vol. 191(1), pages 21-30, April.

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