Working Paper: NBER ID: w16835
Authors: Eric J. Brunner; Stephen L. Ross; Ebonya L. Washington
Abstract: We assemble a novel dataset of matched legislative and constituent votes and demonstrate that less income does not mean less representation. We show 1) The opinions of high and low income voters are highly correlated; the legislator's vote often reflects the desire of both. 2) What differences in representation by income exist, vary by legislator party. Republicans more often vote the will of their higher income over their lower income constituents; Democratic legislators do the reverse. 3) Differences in representation by income are largely explained by the correlation between constituent income and party affiliation.
Keywords: representation; income; political economy; legislative voting
JEL Codes: D72
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Constituent income (D33) | Party affiliation (D72) |
| Party affiliation (D72) | Representation by income (D31) |
| Legislators vote in line with high and low-income constituents (D72) | Voting behavior (D72) |
| Democratic legislators align with low-income constituents (D72) | Voting behavior (D72) |
| Republican legislators align with high-income constituents (D72) | Voting behavior (D72) |
| Constituent income and party affiliation (D72) | Differences in representation by income (D31) |