How do we know if a legislator is effective? This study offers a new way. Using expert evaluations, it creates an effectiveness measure for North Carolina legislators and finds it aligns well.
Then, comparing Michigan, Georgia, and North Carolina, the research explores why some lawmakers seem influential despite limited formal power.
The findings suggest: in state legislatures, persuasive power is less effective than we thought. Lawmaking relies more on traditional hierarchical authority structures.
| Formal Authority, Persuasive Power, and Effectiveness in State Legislatures was authored by Barry Edwards. It was published by Sage in SPPQ in 2018. |
