Homeward Bound: Explaining Changes in Congressional Behavior (Pitt Series in Policy and Institutional Studies) - Hardcover

Parker, Glenn R.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0822935368 ISBN 13: 9780822935360

Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press, 1986

Synopsis

Richard Fenno first coined the term home style to describe the ways in which members of Congress cultivate the voters of their home constituencies. He suggested that incumbents were paying more attention to their constituents than they had in the past. In this book, Glenn Parker examines the relationship between activities at home and in Washington, asking specifically: Why and when did congressmen and senators begin to pay more attention to their constituents? And what are the institutional consequences of this change?Using data drawn from the travel vouchers filed by incumbent senators and congressmen between 1959 and 1980, Parker shows that since the mid-1960s incumbents have been placing greater emphasis on service to their state or district. Congress has facilitated this change in various ways, such as by increasing travel allowances and by scheduling that minimizes the conflict between legislative business in Washington and time spent with constituents. Parker's study includes both the Senate and House, and he draws distinctions between the home-style behaviors of senators and representatives. He also provides a historical context for understanding the dynamics of changes in home style. The time-series data generate explanations that specify relationships among historical conditions, individual behavior, and institutional structures.

About this title

About the Author

<b>Glenn R. Parker</b> is Distinguished Professor of political science and professor of economics at Purdue University.

Edition details

• Publisher: University of Pittsburgh Press
• Publication date: 1986
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0822935368
• ISBN 13: 9780822935360
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 232