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E-book
Author Smith, Michael A., 1970-

Title Bringing representation home : state legislators among their constituencies / Michael A. Smith
Published Columbia : University of Missouri Press, ©2003

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Description 1 online resource (ix, 227 pages) : illustrations
Contents Studying Representation -- Constructing Roles from the Representatives' Perspectives: Literature and Methods -- Burkeans -- The Suburban Burkean -- The Commonsense Burkean -- In-District Advocates -- The Consummate Politician -- The Conscience of the District -- The Inner-City Advocate -- The Common Man Writ Large -- Advocates beyond the District -- The Progressive -- The Civic Booster -- Ombudspersons -- Doing His Job, Voting the District -- The Good Citizen -- Listening and Responding -- The Rural Ombudsman -- Districts, Ambitions, and Strategies in a Term-Limited Era -- Concentric Circles of Constituency -- Hypotheses -- Term Limits: Institutional and Individual Effects -- Data Collection -- Site of the Study -- Coding Decisions: Distinguishing among Suburbs -- A Note on Grammar and Names
Summary "In Bringing Representation Home, Michael A. Smith strays from the norm by asking instead, "How can we discover what representation is?" In pursuing the answer to this question, Smith focuses on what representation is in practice, not what it is in theory. Over the course of two legislative sessions, Smith interviewed and observed twelve state representatives in an effort to better understand and define their approaches to representation. He offers generalizations, but only after grounding his study in descriptions of representatives performing their jobs." "The twelve representatives are divided into four categories: Burkeans, in-district advocates, advocates beyond the district, and ombudspersons. Burkeans emphasize character and experience, advocates stress "socializing the conflict," and ombudspersons underscore listening, responding, and compromising. Smith superbly builds his argument for this classification through an assortment of illustrative examples. He also makes a strong case that home style - the symbolic presentation that a representative makes at home in seeking political support from constituents - is a product of the interaction between the legislator's personality and progressive ambition and the district's characteristics and politics. Smith contends that the key to an effective representational strategy is for a representative to have not only an ideology that reflects the politics of his or her community, but also an understanding of the district's interests, informed by interactions with organized constituencies at home."--Jacket
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references (pages 215-220) and index
Notes Print version record
Subject Legislators -- United States -- States
Representative government and representation -- United States -- States
POLITICAL SCIENCE -- Government -- Legislative Branch.
Legislators -- U.S. states
Representative government and representation -- U.S. states
United States
Form Electronic book
ISBN 0826263674
9780826263674
9780826214522
0826214525