Casework, Issue Positions, and Voting in Congressional Elections: A District Analysis

Serra, George; Moon, David

doi:10.2307/2132353

Cited by 41 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 31 publications

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“…They found that incumbents were better off after the communications than before. Since then, Serra and Cover (1992), Serra (1994), and Serra and Moon (1994) have replicated this finding. Johannes, 1988;Parker, 1980;Ragsdale & Cook 1987;Romero & Sanders 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

What They Do Does Matter: Incumbent Resource Allocations and the Individual House Vote

Romero

2006

Polit Behav

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It is reasonable to presume that House incumbents through their behaviors and resource allocations (e.g., trips home, staff, etc.) are responsible for their electoral success. The empirical case for the resource allocation hypothesis, however, rests primarily upon the support of a few experimental design studies. The remainder of the evidence from 25 years of tests of this hypothesis, at the district and individual-levels, is littered with null findings. Scholars suggest two methodological obstructions hinder alternative hypothesis findings: simultaneity bias (in district and individuallevel studies), and restricted variance on the allocation measures (in individual-level studies). In this investigation I apply methodological remedies for these hindrances-nonrecursive analyses on a pooled (1960)(1961)(1962)(1963)(1964)(1965)(1966)(1967)(1968)(1969)(1970)(1971)(1972)(1973)(1974)(1975)(1976)) NES elections data set. I uncover the strongest evidence yet that incumbents benefit electorally from their resource allocations (here: bills sponsored and cosponsored, staff, and district offices). In addition to this main result, I also discuss the influence generational replacement has on resource allocations and the vote.Keywords Constituency service AE Incumbent vote AE Incumbency advantage AE Personal vote AE Resource allocations I would like to thank F.S. for data collection, Gary C. Jacobson for sharing his challenger quality data, Richard J. Harris for his methodological assistance, and the Brown Bag Gang for their helpful comments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 77%

What They Do Does Matter: Incumbent Resource Allocations and the Individual House Vote

Romero

2006

Polit Behav

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“…One form of responsiveness in which legislators engage is casework (or allocation). Casework is defined as the intervention of legislators to cut red tape, negotiate with state agencies, provide information, and assist with government jobs for an individual constituent (Johannes and McAdams 1981, Serra and Moon 1994, Freeman and Richardson 1996. Through casework US legislators perform tasks similar to those of the European ombudsman, 1 which address the problems citizens face when trying to access governmental services and agencies.…”

Section: The Use Of Casework In Western Democraciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The importance of casework has been debated and research has produced contradictory results. While some scholars reject the importance of casework for re-election, others defend casework as a tool for legislators' responsiveness and a means to gain constituents' support (Yiannakis 1981, Epstein and Frankovic 1982, Johannes 1984, Bond et al 1985, Cain et al 1987, Johannes and McAdams 1987, McAdams and Johannes 1988, Fiorina 1989, Serra and Cover 1992, Serra and Moon 1994, Franks 2007). Cialdini's (2001) concept of reciprocity explains why legislators might use casework.…”

Section: The Use Of Casework In Western Democraciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Serra and Moon (1994) strengthened the argument that casework benefits legislators by stressing that it affects the warmth constituents feel towards their legislator regardless of the legislator's positions on issues or other factors. Freeman and Richardson (1996) explained variation in casework among state legislators and found that the physical closeness of state legislators to their constituents gives casework more impact on legislators' re-election.…”

Section: The Use Of Casework In Western Democraciesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Exchanging Favours: The Predominance of Casework in Legislators' Behaviour in Jordan and Lebanon

Abdel-Samad

2009

The Journal of Legislative Studies

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Responsiveness to constituents' demands and needs is considered an essential element of representation. Responsiveness takes several forms -service, allocation (casework), policies, and symbolic responses -and legislators usually respond to constituents using a combination of these means. However, this article discusses a category of Jordanian and Lebanese legislators, called 'Favours legislators', who respond to their constituents only through casework. These legislators use all tools available to them (party/parliamentary bloc, bureaucracy, and fellow legislators) to improve their access to services important to successful casework. Favours legislators assume that by providing a successful favour, constituents who received the favour will reciprocate in kind and vote and/or encourage others to vote for them.

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“…The evidence that incumbents have enhanced their bids for reelection by the use of casework is generally positive (Cain, Ferejohn, and Fiorina 1987;Epstein and Frankovic 1982;Serra and Cover 1992; Serra and Moon 1994;Yiannakis 1981). Members who engage in extensive casework are better known, more favorably evaluated, and more successful electorally.…”

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confidence: 99%

What's in It for Me?

Serra

1994

American Politics Quarterly

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Research has shown that members of the United States Congress, especially in the House, exploit the abundance of electorally productive perquisites of office available to them. Yet research has not made clear the actual impact of this exploitation on constituents. In this study, I use actual member-constituent contacts in a congressional district to determine the effect of casework on incumbent evaluation. The results indicate that, although casework does benefit the incumbent, its impact is specified by partisanship. In addition, findings show that casework has a ripple effect on the formation of constituent opinion in the district.

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Casework, Issue Positions, and Voting in Congressional Elections: A District Analysis

Cited by 41 publications

References 31 publications

What They Do Does Matter: Incumbent Resource Allocations and the Individual House Vote

What They Do Does Matter: Incumbent Resource Allocations and the Individual House Vote

Exchanging Favours: The Predominance of Casework in Legislators' Behaviour in Jordan and Lebanon

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