Type of Document	Dissertation
Author	Lewis, Christopher J
URN	etd-11082006-135014
Title	The Price of Inertia: An Elite Replacement Model of Representation
Degree	Doctor of Philosophy
Department	Political Science, Department of
Advisory Committee	Advisor Name Title Robert Jackson Committee Chair Charles Barrilleaux Committee Member Robert Crew Committee Member Tim Salmon Committee Member
Keywords	Representation Congress Elite Replacement Elite Response
Date of Defense	2006-11-03
Availability	unrestricted
Abstract Representation may be viewed as a dance in which the citizens and their representatives move in graceful unison. The question posed here is not whether this dance occurs, but rather what sustains it. Results presented throughout this manuscript consistently demonstrate first, that this correspondence between the preferences of citizens and the behavior of their legislators is neither an illusion nor mere coincidence. And second, results also show that this correspondence is not a product of any responsiveness on the part of representatives to the preferences of their constituents. It is not, then, the case that the constituents lead and the representatives follow. Rather it is the case that when the representatives are out of step, the constituents merely change partners. Representation in the United States House of Representatives is driven, largely, by electoral turnover. Constituents remove incumbents from office who do not toe the line and replace them with representatives who better fit the districts. Representation exists because elections perform their intended function. They allow districts to select representatives who adequately represent their preferences.
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