Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Rugeley, Cynthia R.
Author's Email Address	crr04d@fsu.edu
URN	etd-07052007-122749
Title	Home or Away? An Analysis of How Institutions Shape Representation
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Political Science, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Cherie Maestas Committee Chair Lance deHaven Smith Committee Member Robert Jackson Committee Member Tom Carsey Committee Member William Berry Committee Member
Keywords	Public Opinion Professional Legislatures Electoral Institutions Legislatures Representation
Date of Defense	2007-06-14
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract ABSTRACT In the American political system we expect some meaningful connection between citizen opinion and legislative voting behavior. The literature has told us that on a broad scale this connection exists. However, we really know very little about influences on that relationship. The question here is how institutions shape representation. I use the variance available in state legislatures to explore how legislative and electoral institutions influence policy responsiveness. Results presented throughout the manuscript show that institutions benefit or constrain representation. Legislative institutions benefit representation by defining the capacity for representation, and electoral institutions provide the incentives for representation. And second, results show that legislators less responsive to the preferences of their geographic district are more likely to be defeated in future elections. The effect of representation on re-election in this analysis is greater than other indicators of electoral defeat.
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