Doctoral Dissertation Research in Political Science: Latino Representation in U.S. Legislatures: Interests, Behavior, and Influence

Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge LA

Investigators

Abstract

Primary Investigators: Kathleen Bratton and Stella Rouse Title: Doctoral Dissertation Research: Latino Representation in U.S. Legislatures 0718783 Abstract This project focuses on whether increased Latino presence in legislative politics translates into political influence. Specifically, the research explores the link between Latino descriptive and substantive representation in six state legislatures. This research analyzes how Latino "interests" are defined, whether and how those interests are advanced through the legislative process, and how ethnic diversity within a legislature can influence legislative outcomes. Drawing on previous research in race, gender and representation, the project contrasts a descriptive representation model ( in which the ethnicity of a legislator influences behavior even when taking into account constituency and partisanship) with an electoral representation model, in which constituency is the primary motivator of legislator behavior. The major research questions include: Does diversity within legislatures change the behavior of majority individuals? What influence does diversity within legislatures have on policy outcomes? This project will examine these questions in the case of Latino legislators by drawing from previous research on the role of gender and race in the legislative arena. Multiple methods (including regression analysis, content analysis, and network analysis) will be used to examine three main issues. First, ethnic differences in legislative behavior, from the sponsorship stage to the passage stage of the roll-call process, are examined. Second, this project explores whether Latino representatives maximize their influence by building collaborative networks. And third, an examination of whether the increased presence of Latino representatives in a chamber, and increased formal influence, affects individual legislative behavior and legislative outcomes is conducted. A set of data collected from six state legislatures (California, Arizona, Florida, Illinois, New Mexico, and Texas) in 2001 and 2005 is used for this project. This project also includes a significant qualitative component, based on interviews of Latino and non-Latino state legislators from a variety of districts. These interviews are particularly valuable given that many of the relevant issues that make up "Latino issues" (such as immigration) are newly placed on the political agenda. The project will contribute to scholarly knowledge by building on prior empirical work on gender, race, and representation. The merit of the project is further enhanced in that it employs multiple methods to explore how the link between descriptive and substantive representation can vary at different stages and under different conditions within legislative institutions.