The Personal Vote

Bruce Cain; John Ferejohn; Morris Fiorina

Published by Harvard University Press 1987

The Personal Vote

Constituency Service and Electoral Independence

Bruce Cain, John Ferejohn and Morris Fiorina

https://doi.org/10.4159/harvard.9780674493285

Overview
Contents

About this book

Modern legislators are increasingly motivated to serve their constituents in personal ways. Representatives act like ultimate ombudsmen: they keep in close touch with their constituents and try to cultivate a relationship with them based on service and accessibility. The Personal Vote describes the behavior of representatives in the United States and Great Britain and the response of their constituents as well. It shows how congressmen and members of Parliament earn personalized support and how this attenuates their ties to national leaders and parties.

The larger significance of this empirical work arises from its implications for the structure of legislative institutions and the nature of legislative action. Personalized electoral support correlates with decentralized governing institutions and special-interest policy making. Such systems tend to inconsistency and stalemate. The United States illustrates a mature case of this development, and Britain is showing the first movements in this direction with the decline of an established two-party system, the rise of a centrist third party, greater volatility in the vote, growing backbench independence and increasing backbench pressure for committees and staff.

This book is essential for specialists in American national government, British politics, and comparative legislatures and comparative parties.

Author information

CainBruce:

Bruce Cain is Associate Professor of Political Science, California Institute of TechnologyFerejohnJohn:

John Ferejohn is Professor of Political Science and Senior Research Fellow, Hoover Institution, Stanford UniversityFiorinaMorris:

Morris Fiorina is Professor of Government, Harvard University

Frontmatter Accessible Download PDF	i
Preface Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	vii
Contents Accessible Download PDF	ix
Introduction Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	1
Part I. CONSTITUENCY SERVICE
1. Member Visibility and Member Images Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	27
2. The Nature of Constituency Service Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	50
3. Incentives for Serving the Constituency Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	77
4. Temporal Change in Constituency Service Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	97
Part II. CONSTITUENT RESPONSE
5. Unraveling a Paradox Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	121
6. Member Behavior and Constituent Response Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	135
7.1 The Personal Vote Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	167
Part III. THE LARGER IMPLICATIONS
8. Particular Interests and General Benefits Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	197
9. Implications for Political Institutions Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	212
APPENDIX A. Coding Categories Equated in Comparisons of Open-ended Responses, 1958 and 1978 Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	231
APPENDIX Β. Problems of Comparability in Open-ended Questions about the Congressional Candidates, 1958 and 1978 Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	232
NOTES Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	234
INDEX Requires Authentication Accessible Download PDF	267

(Deutsch)

Language: English
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Edition: Reprint 2014
Audience: Professional and scholarly;
Pages
- Front matter: 10
- Main content: 268
Illustrations
- Illustrations: 1
- Tables: 61
- Other: illustrations
Keywords: Legislators -- Great Britain.; Legislators -- United States.; Representative government and representation -- United States.; Representative government and representation -- Great Britain.; United States. Congress.

eBook

Published: October 1, 2013
ISBN: 9780674493285

Hardcover

Published: February 5, 1987
ISBN: 9780674493254