Representing the Advantaged

Rezensionen / Stimmen

'A fascinating study of how America's politicians respond to their constituents. Butler's novel and compelling experiments show that elected officials often (but not always) discriminate against their own constituents who hold lower-status jobs, who identify with the opposite party, or who belong to a different racial or ethnic group. By systematically studying thousands of state and local officials, Butler brings solid new evidence to bear on questions at the heart of democratic governance.' Martin Gilens, Princeton University, New Jersey 'This path-breaking book is the first to use field experiments to investigate public officials' responsiveness to their constituents' requests and inquiries. Its thought-provoking conclusions about the role of race, class, and gender are sure to inspire debate and a new wave of representation research.' Donald P. Green, Columbia University 'Representing the Advantaged is a must-read for anyone interested in identifying the elite roots of income and racial inequality in contemporary American democracy. Butler persuasively argues that informational and attitudinal biases of elected officials affect the quality of political representation. Using field experiments, Butler shows that these biases impede responsiveness by legislators and other elected officials to disadvantaged constituents. This book changed the way I think about political representation.' Christian Grose, University of Southern California 'Representing the Advantaged is one of the most important books on representation that I have read in a long time. The methodological approach is innovative, the theoretical insights are illuminating, and the results - particularly regarding the unique disadvantages that racial and ethnic minorities face - are disconcerting. Butler does a tremendous job of highlighting a central weakness in our democracy.' Vincent Hutchings, University of Michigan