Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Latino Representation in U.S. Legislatures: Interests, Behavior, and Influence

题目：博士论文研究：拉丁裔在美国立法机构中的代表[07187883]摘要本项目主要研究拉丁裔在立法政治中的存在是否转化为政治影响力。具体而言，该研究探讨了拉丁裔在六个州立法机构的描述性和实质性代表性之间的联系。本研究分析了拉丁裔“利益”是如何定义的，这些利益是否以及如何通过立法程序推进，以及立法机构内的种族多样性如何影响立法结果。根据先前关于种族、性别和代表性的研究，该项目将描述性代表性模型（立法者的种族影响行为，即使考虑到选区和党派关系）与选举代表性模型进行了对比，其中选区是立法者行为的主要动机。主要的研究问题包括：立法机构内部的多样性是否会改变大多数人的行为？立法机构内部的多样性对政策结果有什么影响？本项目将借鉴以往关于性别和种族在立法领域的作用的研究，以拉丁裔立法者为例审查这些问题。多种方法（包括回归分析，内容分析和网络分析）将用于检查三个主要问题。首先，考察了从提案阶段到唱名过程通过阶段的立法行为的民族差异。其次，本项目探讨拉丁裔代表是否通过建立合作网络最大化其影响力。第三，对拉丁裔代表在议会中的增加及其正式影响力的增加是否影响个人立法行为和立法结果进行了审查。本项目使用了2001年和2005年从六个州的立法机构（加利福尼亚州、亚利桑那州、佛罗里达州、伊利诺伊州、新墨西哥州和德克萨斯州）收集的一组数据。该项目还包括一个重要的定性组成部分，基于对来自各个地区的拉丁裔和非拉丁裔州议员的采访。考虑到构成“拉丁裔问题”的许多相关问题（如移民问题）刚刚被列入政治议程，这些访谈尤其有价值。该项目将建立在先前关于性别、种族和代表性的实证工作的基础上，为学术知识做出贡献。该项目的优点进一步增强，因为它采用多种方法来探讨在立法机构的不同阶段和不同条件下，描述性代表权和实质性代表权之间的联系如何变化。

Primary Investigators: Kathleen Bratton and Stella Rouse Title: Doctoral Dissertation Research: Latino Representation in U.S. Legislatures0718783AbstractThis project focuses on whether increased Latino presence in legislative politics translates into political influence. Specifically, the research explores the link between Latino descriptive and substantive representation in six state legislatures. This research analyzes how Latino "interests" are defined, whether and how those interests are advanced through the legislative process, and how ethnic diversity within a legislature can influence legislative outcomes. Drawing on previous research in race, gender and representation, the project contrasts a descriptive representation model ( in which the ethnicity of a legislator influences behavior even when taking into account constituency and partisanship) with an electoral representation model, in which constituency is the primary motivator of legislator behavior. The major research questions include: Does diversity within legislatures change the behavior of majority individuals? What influence does diversity within legislatures have on policy outcomes? This project will examine these questions in the case of Latino legislators by drawing from previous research on the role of gender and race in the legislative arena. Multiple methods (including regression analysis, content analysis, and network analysis) will be used to examine three main issues. First, ethnic differences in legislative behavior, from the sponsorship stage to the passage stage of the roll-call process, are examined. Second, this project explores whether Latino representatives maximize their influence by building collaborative networks. And third, an examination of whether the increased presence of Latino representatives in a chamber, and increased formal influence, affects individual legislative behavior and legislative outcomes is conducted. A set of data collected from six state legislatures (California, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, and Texas) in 2001 and 2005 is used for this project. This project also includes a significant qualitative component, based on interviews of Latino and non-Latino state legislators from a variety of districts. These interviews are particularly valuable given that many of the relevant issues that make up "Latino issues" (such as immigration) are newly placed on the political agenda. The project will contribute to scholarly knowledge by building on prior empirical work on gender, race, and representation. The merit of the project is further enhanced in that it employs multiple methods to explore how the link between descriptive and substantive representation can vary at different stages and under different conditions within legislative institutions.