0 Factors Conditioning the Representational Activities of State Legislators

This analysis examines the representational activities of state legislators. Specifically, it addresses questions regarding the relative amount of effort these elected leaders devote to various tasks. For example, how much effort do they give to activities within the legislature such as writing and passing legislation? How do these efforts compare to those directed toward constituents such as fulfilling service requests or working to bring funds home to the district? How often do legislators stay in touch with constituents and to what extent do they use the opinions of constituents in making important decisions? These questions are addressed through an analysis of state legislators in 16 states. A major goal is to identify factors that explain observed differences. A variety of district-level variables such as the information environment, electoral conditions, and population characteristics are examined. Legislators ’ attitudes and perceptions are also included as potential explanations. A major finding to emerge is that representational behaviors are conditioned by a variety of district and state level factors. Legislators who share similar personal characteristics and attitudes often exhibit very different types of representational behaviors depending on the prevailing conditions in their states and districts