scholarly journals Unfastening the Electoral Connection: The Behavior of U.S. Representatives when Reelection Is No Longer a Factor

1994 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 214-227 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rebekah Herrick ◽  
Michael K. Moore ◽  
John R. Hibbing
Keyword(s):  
Electoral Connection

Political and Institutional Checks on Corruption

2009 ◽  
Vol 42 (9) ◽  
pp. 1217-1244 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marcus André Melo ◽  
Carlos Pereira ◽  
Carlos Mauricio Figueiredo
Keyword(s):  
Political Competition ◽  
New Democracies ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Electoral Connection ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Institutional Activism ◽  
Accountability Mechanism ◽  
Empirical Tests ◽  
Performance Determinants ◽  
Positive Direct

This article investigates the performance determinants of accountability institutions in new democracies. Current scholarship on accountability has identified a distinct mechanism through which the introduction of political competition may affect such institutions: the electoral connection or vertical accountability mechanism. This connection is not expected to be effective in new democracies, because political competition is found to be volatile and nonprogrammatic. Another strand of the literature focuses on the effect of power alternation. Government turnover is expected to generate incentives for the creation and strengthening of autonomous institutions. By exploring a unique data set on 33 state audit institutions, the authors bring together these distinct claims and provide systematic empirical tests for them. They find a negative effect of volatility on their institutional activism and a positive (direct and indirect) influence of power alternation on their levels of autonomy and sanctioning patterns.

Private Member Bills and Electoral Connection in Wales

2018 ◽  
Vol 54 (3) ◽  
pp. 279-295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brian D. Williams
Keyword(s):  
Electoral Connection

scholarly journals Careerism, Committee Assignments, and the Electoral Connection

1996 ◽  
Vol 90 (1) ◽  
pp. 21-33 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonathan N. Katz ◽  
Brian R. Sala
Keyword(s):  
Property Rights ◽  
Electoral System ◽  
Electoral Connection ◽  
Electoral Incentives ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Committee Assignment ◽  
Committee Assignments

Most scholars agree that members of Congress are strongly motivated by their desire for reelection. This assumption implies that members of Congress adopt institutions, rules, and norms of behavior in part to serve their electoral interests. Direct tests of the electoral connection are rare, however, because significant, exogenous changes in the electoral environment are difficult to identify. We develop and test an electoral rationale for the norm of committee assignment “property rights.” We examine committee tenure patterns before and after a major, exogenous change in the electoral system—the states' rapid adoption of Australian ballot laws in the early 1890s. The ballot changes, we argue, induced new “personal vote” electoral incentives, which contributed to the adoption of “modern” congressional institutions such as property rights to committee assignments. We demonstrate a marked increase in assignment stability after 1892, by which time a majority of states had put the new ballot laws into force, and earlier than previous studies have suggested.

Diversity, Leadership, and Authenticity in the Undocumented Youth Movement

2019 ◽  
Vol 5 (1) ◽  
pp. 37-61
Author(s):  
Fanny Lauby
Keyword(s):  
Participant Observation ◽  
Field Research ◽  
State Level ◽  
Elected Officials ◽  
Immigration Status ◽  
Undocumented Youth ◽  
New Members ◽  
Youth Movement ◽  
Electoral Connection ◽  
The Social

AbstractThe undocumented youth movement is diverse in terms of race, ethnicity, and immigration status. I argue that racial and immigration status diversity has a direct impact on the movement's ability to “expand the scope of conflict,” that is to say recruiting new members, reaching out to elected officials, and establishing representative leadership—elements that are critical to the sustainability and effectiveness of a movement. Findings also indicate that immigration status diversity plays a complex role. The presence of citizen allies brings both risks and benefits to the movement, as they reinforce the electoral connection sought by elected officials while at the same time jeopardizing the authenticity of the movement. Results are based on field research conducted between 2012 and 2015 in NJ and NY, including participant observation in state-level campaigns and interviews with over 130 immigrant youths, allies, and elected officials. This article contributes to the social movement literature by providing empirical evidence of the challenges present within diverse coalitions. It addresses the question of immigration status diversity, an issue that affects the immigration movement but speaks more broadly to the role of allies in social movements.

Strategy and Background in Congressional Campaigns

1998 ◽  
Vol 92 (1) ◽  
pp. 159-171 ◽  
Author(s):  
Patrick J. Sellers
Keyword(s):  
Electoral Connection ◽  
Congressional Campaigns ◽  
Campaign Messages

Common conceptions of the electoral connection often make two assumptions about the behavior of candidates and voters. The first is that candidates focus their campaigns on their records. The second is that voters evaluate candidates on the basis of their campaign messages. This article explores how candidates' backgrounds influence these two components of representation. The main premise is simple: Campaign messages are more effective if they emphasize issues on which candidates have built a record that appears favorable to voters. Consequently, candidates tend to focus on this type of issue when choosing campaign themes. Candidates are less successful in winning favorable evaluations if they stray from their records and make unsubstantiated claims.

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