The Personal and the Political - The Impact of the Personal Background of Representatives on Legislative Decision-Making in the US Congress and the German Bundestag

Applying theories developed in Psychology, Sociology, Gender Studies and Political Science the text presents a comprehensive study of how legislators are influenced by their personal experiences in their job as representatives. The study analyzes a variety of personal and social characteristics such as ethnicity, gender, class, profession and personal trauma, and with that goes beyond previous attempts to study the policy impact of specific groups. In a broad quantitative approach considering other vital factors in legislative decision-making, the text compares legislative behavior in the US House of Representatives and the German Bundestag, embedding the analysis in a theoretical framework of institutional opportunities and constraints. The results provide detailed insights into a connection of personal experiences and legislative behavior, stressing that the various aspects of the personal background translate differently into representative action. With that, the text presents a re-discovery of Hanna Pitkin's multidimensional theory of representation.

List of contents

Contents: Personality and politics - Institutional opportunities - Personal background and legislate behavior - comparing the German Bundestag and the US Congress - Electoral incentives and symbolic representation.

About the author

The Author: Annette Przygoda studied Political Science, English and German at the University of Cologne (Germany). She earned her Master's degree in Political Science in 2003 and her PhD in 2006. She currently lives and works in British Columbia (Canada).

Product details

• Authors: Annette Przygoda
• Publisher: Peter Lang
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.08.2016
• EAN: 9783631567845
• ISBN: 978-3-631-56784-5
• No. of pages: 132
• Dimensions: 148 mm x 7 mm x 210 mm
• Weight: 190 g
• Series: Europäische Hochschulschriften (Reihe 31): Politikwissenschaft ) / European University Studies (Series 31): Political Science / Publications Universit; Europäische Hochschulschriften / European University Studies / Publications Universitaires Européenn; Europäische Hochschulschriften (Reihe 31): Politikwissenschaft / Political Science / Sciences politiques; Europäische Hochschulschriften / European University Studies / Publications Universitaires Européenn; Europäische Hochschulschriften (Reihe 31): Politikwissenschaft / Political Science / Sciences politiques; Europäische Hochschulschriften / European University Studies/Publications Universitaires Européenne
• Subject: Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political theories and the history of ideas