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Explaining Congressional Casework Styles

1983; Wiley; Volume: 27; Issue: 3 Linguagem: Inglês

10.2307/2110983

1540-5907

John R. Johannes,

Political Influence and Corporate Strategies

Using questionnaire and interview data from 1977 to 1978 on 146 House and 72 Senate offices, this study examines five aspects of congressional casework activity: the amount of time members personally devote to casework, the size of their casework staffs, the percentage of casework done in home offices, the degree to which congressmen attempt to solicit cases, and their propensity to use casework for electoral or public relations purposes. Multiple regression analysis shows significant but substantively minor effects on casework decisions for a number of member-related and constituency-related independent variables. The most important findings are that (1) only a small proportion of the variance in casework activities can be explained by the variables used here, (2) member seniority proves to be the most consistent factor in explaining such activities, and (3) demandside factors (constituency demands, traditions, expectations) are more important than previous research indicated.