Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Responsiveness Beyond Roll Calls
- 2 A Supply and Demand Theory of Representation
- 3 Citizen Demand for the Dimensions of Representation
- 4 The Determinants of Legislators' Representational Priorities
- 5 Legislative Websites and the Dimensions of Representation
- 6 Unifying the Dimensions of Representation
- Appendix A Appendix to Chapter 3
- Appendix B Appendix to Chapter 4
- Appendix C Appendix to Chapter 5
- References
- Index
5 - Legislative Websites and the Dimensions of Representation
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 05 November 2015
- Frontmatter
- Dedication
- Contents
- List of Figures
- List of Tables
- Acknowledgments
- 1 Responsiveness Beyond Roll Calls
- 2 A Supply and Demand Theory of Representation
- 3 Citizen Demand for the Dimensions of Representation
- 4 The Determinants of Legislators' Representational Priorities
- 5 Legislative Websites and the Dimensions of Representation
- 6 Unifying the Dimensions of Representation
- Appendix A Appendix to Chapter 3
- Appendix B Appendix to Chapter 4
- Appendix C Appendix to Chapter 5
- References
- Index
Summary
From 2013–2014, Nathan Ramsey represented a unique mix of constituents in the 115th North Carolina House District. The district is racially homogeneous, with over 80 percent white constituents. But there is wider variation in other characteristics, such as income. Constituents range from very poor (nearly 25 percent of children in Buncombe County live in poverty) to wealthy (about 15 percent of households earn over $100,000). The district is also both urban and rural, covering parts of the college town of Asheville as well as smaller communities in the mountains of western North Carolina.
As his website showed, Rep. Ramsey provided representation to this varied group of citizens in many different ways. He posted information on modernizing the tax code, the toughening of DWI laws, and cutting bureaucratic red tape in North Carolina, among other policy issues. He also provided useful links related to government and offers to assist anyone with a problem. In one online post, he discussed a bill he cosponsored to expedite road construction projects such as the I-26 Connector, a $500 million highway addition running through his district.
Rep. Ramsey's website illustrated the two-way relationship between constituents and representatives. He stated that his goals for the website were to allow constituents to “learn more about business in the state legislature” and “to keep [him] informed of the things that are important to [constituents].” Rep. Ramsey's online presence illustrated the many and varied aspects of his job as a legislator, and his website was a focal point of how he represented his constituents.
In this chapter, I continue the test of my theoretical expectations regarding the supply of representation. My theoretical claim from Chapter 2 is that legislators emphasize different dimensions in a strategic manner to maximize support in their districts. I show here why someone like Nathan Ramsey might benefit from emphasizing several dimensions of representation because the district he represented is a diverse mix of people. I also show that other representatives have incentive to emphasize one dimension more than others.
I tested my supply-side theoretical expectations in Chapter 4 via survey experiments. While I had precise control over what legislators responded to in collecting those data, it is possible that the text I put in front of them was not exactly reflective of representation “in the real world.”
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- Chapter
- Information
- Multidimensional DemocracyA Supply and Demand Theory of Representation in American Legislatures, pp. 104 - 131Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2015