Constituency service and United States House members: The role of character assessments

[摘要] If devoting more staff and more resources to constituency service in the district brings members of the U.S. House no electoral benefits, why has the performance of these activities and members;; interest in them increased in recent decades? Studies with misspecified models and inappropriate tests previously have failed to uncover the causal link between constituency service and electoral fortunes. Using individual-level 1994 American National Election Studies data, I find that knowledge of constituency service impacts vote choice only through its effect on citizens;; impressions of incumbent candidates;; personal characteristics.

[发布机构] Rice University