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- Title
Ideological Change In the U.S. Senate: Time and Electoral Responsiveness.
- Authors
Elling, Richard C.
- Abstract
Examinations of the linkage between legislators and their constituencies have largely ignored the question of whether the strength of this linkage varies over time. Are legislators more representative or responsive at one point in their term than at others? The "using" of terms to reconcile conflicting pressures should be most feasible for U.S. Senators with six year terms. This study examines whether a senator's ideological stance changes as a function of time remaining in his term. Patterned instability did exist and such shifting was generally in the direction of ideological moderation. Although linear relationships between electoral vulnerability and moderation were weak, there was some evidence of nonlinearity since those winning by very narrow margins were especially likely to shift positions.
- Subjects
STATESMEN; UNITED States legislators; TERM of office of United States legislators; IDEOLOGY; POLITICAL participation; POLITICAL science
- Publication
Legislative Studies Quarterly, 1982, Vol 7, Issue 1, p75
- ISSN
0362-9805
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.2307/439692