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Making a Good Impression: Resource Allocation, Home Styles, and Washington Work
Author(s) -
PARKER DAVID C.W.,
GOODMAN CRAIG
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
legislative studies quarterly
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.728
H-Index - 54
eISSN - 1939-9162
pISSN - 0362-9805
DOI - 10.3162/036298009789869709
Subject(s) - cognitive reframing , notice , variety (cybernetics) , public relations , work (physics) , resource (disambiguation) , marketing , political science , business , social psychology , psychology , law , computer science , engineering , mechanical engineering , computer network , artificial intelligence
Members of Congress engage in a variety of representational activities, but existing research suggests that the effect of these activities on reelection margins is mixed. Reframing the question, we examined whether or not constituents notice the home styles of members and members' efforts to communicate their activities through the allocation of official resources. Combining new data on members' office expenditures with data from the American National Election Studies, we found evidence that constituents perceive the representational activities of their members in a meaningful fashion. Franking, office expenditures, and travel back home to the district provide positive benefits to incumbents, shaping how constituents view these members and their activities.