Do As I Say Not As I Do: A Study of Representation in Congress

Abstract

This dissertation examines the behavior of members of the House of Representatives on economic issues in order to ascertain how economic characteristics of their constituencies affect their actions. Specifically, this paper examines their activity with respect to what these representatives are saying directly to constituents, what they are saying to their colleagues and those who closely monitor their behavior, and the ways in which representatives are actually acting with respect to legislation. By utilizing the notion of anticipatory representation and focusing on the potential voters representatives are trying to win over, the research I present here attempts to use economic issues as a means of understanding the relationship between a representative and his or her constituents. Constituents’ economic needs are easy for representatives to gauge given the accessibility of economic indicators, such as the unemployment rate. Therefore, as a result of the recent economic downturn and the fact that economic indicators are readily available, representatives are assumed to be fairly aware of their constituent’s economic desires. Thus, the research presented here is an attempt to determine whether representatives are merely indicating to their constituents a concern for their economic well-being, or if they are in fact pursuing what is in their district’s best economic interests. More often than not, findings indicate that the primary driver of representative behavior is party affiliation. Representatives may occasionally pay attention to their district’s economic needs, such as when they directly address the public, but overall their biggest concern appears to be towing the party line.