Every two years American voters turn out to elect several
thousand representatives to state legislatures. Only now in
Representation in State Legislatures do we have a detailed
examination of how these officials perceive their jobs and how they
attempt to do them. To provide answers to these questions, Malcolm
E. Jewell conducted intensive interviews with 220 members of houses
of representatives in nine selected states. He asked each
legislator how he kept in touch with his constituents, how he
resolved matters of policy, how he sought government resources for
his district, and what services he provided for individual
constituents.
State legislatures differ greatly, and they are not
institutionalized to the same degree as the national congress. It
is difficult, therefore, to generalize on such effects as
partisanship. Likewise it appears that past explanatory models do
not adequately describe the complex relationships seen by most
legislators in their work. The state legislature is changing. It is
becoming more institutionalized. It is becoming more stable as
fewer members retire and more are reelected. The trend is toward
longer sessions, increased staff, and more activity. With this
trend the legislator is becoming more visible; he can deal with
lawmaking while having greater opportunities to provide services
and to gain publicity for them.
As the move, begun by the Reagan administration, to put more
responsibility for programs on the states continues, the state
legislatures will assume a place of greater importance in the
governing of the United States. This pioneering study of
representation will thereby gain significance both for the
understanding it imparts and for the new questions it raises.
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