Understanding the Role of Representatives: Delegate vs. Trustee in American Politics
This lecture explores the concept of political representation in the United States, questioning whether elected officials are truly representative of their constituents. It examines the characteristics of representatives, their motivations for serving, and their alignment with public opinion on various issues. The discussion includes the incumbency advantage, the roles of delegates, trustees, and politicos, and how these roles impact legislative behavior. Finally, it addresses the responsiveness of government to public sentiment and the dynamics between representatives and their constituents.
Understanding the Role of Representatives: Delegate vs. Trustee in American Politics
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Presentation Transcript
Representation GOVT311 Lecture 20
Are Representatives “Representative”? • Representatives are better educated and wealthier than public. • True for all political elites, such as party activists • Who is interested in serving? • Most are “self-starters” • Fewer are “reluctants” – people urged by their friends and family
Are Representatives “Representative” on Issues? • For most issues, the Public and Representatives hold the same attitudes on policy • Except for tax breaks for the wealthy and gun control
Is incumbency advantage “Bad”? • Bad: incumbents don’t have to act as delegates • Good: incumbents who want to be reelected are most likely to act as delegates (else they get the boot). • Good: people must like incumbent job performance since so many are reelected
Three Roles of Representatives • Delegate: a representative is a vessel, filled with the views of their constituents • Trustee (Edmund Burke): a representative elected to make decisions for people, in their best interest, regardless how they feel • Politico: A person who acts as both, depending on the situation • Most representatives say (in polls) they are a trustee or politico
The Delegate • For the delegate theory to work, representatives must have some idea of what their constituents want, which they do through… • Polling • Questionnaires • Election returns • Constituent profile • Mail and phone calls to office • Home style • “Squeaky wheel gets the grease”
The Trustee • Representatives must act as a trustee when they vote on arcane issues that the public does not follow • These are perhaps the most difficult votes to make for a delegate-minded representative, who is afraid that a vote will unexpectedly activate a group in the district against the representative
Evidence of Delegate Behavior • Using “Vote for Clinton” as a measure of the liberal/conservative leaning of a district, districts that are most liberal have members that vote the most liberal in Congress (E&T p.312-313). • As election time draws near, Senators act more like delegates than trustees. • Those representatives in the closest elections act as delegates
Is Government Responsive? • National policy corresponds to national mood (E&T p.329) • State policy corresponds to state ideology (E&T p.331)
