Understanding how legislators respond to constituent demands is central to political representation. This study reveals that existing work overlooks a key variable: local demand itself.
New theory proposes district-specific resource allocation driven by two factors:
district needs based on its relative deprivation level;
electoral incentives, as responding allows for credit claiming.
Testing this model with survey data (mass and elite) across Latin America confirms constituent influence exists at both public and policy levels.
| Constituent Demand and District-Focused Legislative Representation was authored by Mathias Tromborg and Leslie A. Schwindt-Bayer. It was published by Wiley in LSQ in 2019. |
