September 28, 2006 Individual motivations and their connections to institutional design Are institutions exogenous or endogenous? Individuals operate within an institutional setting, but they shape that setting, too. What are institutions?

Institutions Fixed Buildings, strong and immutable Rules and Procedures, stronger if they have the force of law Patterns of Behavior –Habits?

“The Electoral Connection and Congress” David R. Mayhew

Proximate Goal Reelection –Universal –Cannot achieve other goals if member is not reelected –“All members of Congress have a primary interest in getting re-elected. Some members have no other interest.”

Activities Useful for Reelection Advertising –visiting constituency, non-political speeches to home audiences, letters of condolence and congratulation, newsletters, opinion editorials –Franking Privilege

Activities Useful for Reelection Credit Claiming: generating belief that the legislator is personally responsible for a government change –Particularized Benefits 1.Given to specific individual or group that allows the single legislator to be recognized 2.Done in an ad hoc fashion

Activities Useful for Reelection Position-taking: “public enunciation of a judgmental statement on anything likely to be of interest to political actors” –roll call vote, floor addresses, speeches, television appearances, letters, press releases, interviews, etc.

Institution Meets Electoral Needs Benefits Associated with the Office –Staff, casework capabilities, franking privilege –Seniority Committee Structure –Platform for position-taking, particularized benefits, allows division of labor among members Parties –Majority party could cut off particularized benefits from minority party, but this has not happened

“Member Goals” Richard F. Fenno, Jr.

Basic Goals of a Legislator 1. Reelection 2. Influence within the House 3. Good Public Policy X. (career beyond house, private gain) Committee membership reflects the goal of a legislators

Appropriations, Ways & Means “Power,” “Prestige,” “Importance” Reflects desire to have influence within the House

Interior, Post Office “District Interests,” “Projects,” “Political Help” Reflects goal of reelection by helping constituents

Education, Labor, Foreign Affairs “Interesting,” “Exciting,” “Controversial,” “Important” Reflects goal of making good public policy

Congress: A Political- Economic History of Roll Call Voting Keith T. Poole, Howard Rosenthal et al LIBERALCONSERVATIVE

Motivation of Legislator Ideology –Liberal to Conservative Spectrum –Constraint Hypothesis: issues tend to be mapped onto a fixed ordering or placement of legislators –Voting tends to be highly consistent over a member’s time in office. –History:

Annoying Gap Between Theory and Practice… What do you make of Representative Steve Tobocman?

Upcoming Assignments Campaign Issues Memo, Due on Monday. –Highlight 3 or 4 issues. Specify your district. Link issues to your district, to your passions, and to your personal history. Personal Biographies and Committee preferences due next Wednesday. Hint:

Credits Fenno, Jr., Richard F., “Member Goals,” Congressmen in Committees. (Glenview: Little, Brown & Company, 1973) pp Image on cover from: “HUD Testimony” U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development py.JPG Accessed 2/7/ py.JPG Mayhew, David R., “The Electoral Connection and the Congress,” Congress: Structure and Policy, Terry Sullivan ed. (New Haven: Cambridge University Press, 1974) pp Images on cover from: Tameside.gov.uk Accessed 2/7/2005; “Congressional Apportionment—What is it?” United States Census. Accessed 2/7/2005; “Seal of the United States Senate,” Wikipedia Accessed 2/7/ Poole, Keith T. and Howard Rosenthal et al, Congress: A Political-Economic History of Roll Call Voting. (New York: Oxford University Press, 1997) pp