Representing America

"Representing America looks at the critical question of how to ensure that legislator represent their constituents' interests. Using qualitative and quantitative analysis, Rebekah Herrick and Samuel H. Fisher III investigate whether professional politicians, who have prior political experience and seek to hold office as long as possible, or citizen politicians, who come from the private sector and have no prior political experience, make better representatives. They focus on key differences in representation between citizen and professional legislators elected to the U.S. House of Representatives from 1992 to 1998. Representing America is a valuable study for scholars and students with an interest in representative institutions and behaviors."--BOOK JACKET.