The Effects of Electoral Systems on Legislator-Constituency Relations: A Five Country Study

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This research systematically examines five nations to determine the influence of electoral arrangements on legislators' constituency-oriented activity/. Legislator involvement in constituency-oriented actions constitutes a key element of representation separate from more commonly studied policy-based representation. Evidence suggests that members of all legislatures engage in some form of constituency-oriented activity. Unfortunately, analyses of such activities, and their causes, are sparse for legislatures other than the U.S. Congress. Rarer still are studies that examine legislator-constituent relations comparatively across nations. Consequently, a causal-based, theoretically rich understanding of legislator-constituent relations does not exist. By comparing five nations with markedly different electoral systems, this investigation produces a database making advancement towards such an understanding possible. The project contributes to a greater understanding of the nature of representation and the role electoral arrangements play beyond influencing seat and vote distributions. The study involves personal interviews with national legislators in Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom. Interviewed are 50-60 legislators in each of the lower houses of the four bicameral parliaments and in the only chamber of New Zealand's unicameral Parliament. Samples are drawn in order to approximate the features of the population of legislators in each legislative body. Additionally, surveys are mailed to each district represented in each legislature. These surveys are directed at senior staff who deal with constituent issues and supplement the interview data. Other types of supplementary data (mainly electoral) are also gathered. This study yields a rich dataset useful for scholars interested in addressing a number of potential explanations for variation in legislator's constituency-oriented actions. Additionally, the dataset is useful for analyzing the linkage between constituency activity and incumbent electoral fortunes (e.g., personal vote totals).