Representation Imperatives in the Public Mind

Abstract

Objective. Some models of representation posit that high quality representation hinges on legislators adhering to their campaign promises. Others rest on the idea that representatives should respond to prevailing sentiment among their constituents. Still others suggest that legislators have a special obligation to their supporters-the voters who put them into office. We assess how important citizens think it is for elected officials to respond to each of these representation imperatives. Methods. We leverage a national survey experiment that asked respondents to evaluate a Senator whose behavior conformed to or was at odds with each of these modes of representation. Findings. Adhering to campaign promises and responding to prevailing public preferences similarly, and independently, affect evaluations of whether a vote cast by a legislator was appropriate. We also find a pronounced partisan divide in the importance people attach to responding to electoral supporters' preferences. Conclusions. In the aggregate, Americans value each of the three modes of representation we investigate. However, Democrats attach essentially no independent importance to responsiveness to core supporters, while Republicans see this type of responsiveness as just as important as adhering to campaign promises or responding to the broader constituency.

How Citizens Want Their Legislator to Vote

“…Many scholars have described the concept of representation (Burke 1774; Eulau et al 1959; Eulau and Karps 1977; Mansbridge 2003; Pitkin 1967; Rehfeld 2009), and have studied it empirically (Carman 2006, 2007; Doherty et al 2016, 2019; Miller and Stokes 1963; Werner 2019a, 2019b). Despite this wealth of work, a generally accepted typology of different styles of representation is missing from the literature.…”

“…The binding character of election pledges is also a key ingredient to the Responsible Party Model (APSA 1950). Furthermore, empirical work has shown that citizens tend to react negatively to elected officials changing their positions (Croco 2016; Doherty et al 2016, 2019; Tomz and Van Houweling 2016).…”

“…Others have asked citizens to rate different styles of representation, without contrasting them explicitly (Bengtsson and Wass 2010). Recent studies, however, have relied on an experimental design to evaluate citizens' preferences (Campbell et al 2019; Doherty et al 2019; Werner 2019a, 2019b). More specifically, these studies have designed conjoint or vignette experiments to measure what representational styles citizens prefer.…”

Fulfilling Campaign Promises or Following Public Opinion: Does the Size of the Majority Matter?

“…Our research is inspired by recent studies that have used an experimental design to determine what representational style citizens prefer (Campbell et al, 2019; Dassonneville et al, forthcoming; Doherty et al, 2016, 2019; Werner, 2019a, 2019b). The basic idea is to present respondents with concrete situations and ask them what they think the legislator or party should do, with the various options corresponding to different styles of representation.…”

“…Previous studies about the importance that people attach to public opinion show that views about what elected representatives should do shift, depending on whether a majority of the public supports or opposes a proposed policy (Dassonneville et al, forthcoming; Doherty et al, 2016, 2019; Werner 2019a, 2019b). This is an interesting finding.…”