Enshrining policy in a state’s constitution means that it is more likely to be rewritten as the makeup of the state legislature changes.

Just as the US has a founding document – The Constitution – the states themselves have their own constitutions. But what influences how and when these documents are altered? In new research, Adam Cayton compares the partisan makeup of state legislatures in every year since 1834 to the year in which a state’s constitution was enacted to see when they are replaced. He finds that a state’s constitution is more likely to be replaced when the constitution includes a large amount of policy content and the composition of the legislature has changed

Legislators flip-flop on passing a bill when they think voters want them to, but only when it’s visible

People often perceive politicians as being both inconsistent and uncompromising despite the fact that these perceptions cannot both be true. In reality, legislators have to walk a fine line between responsiveness and consistency to remain in good standing with both their party and their voters. In new research, Adam Cayton studies how and when legislators do change their positions on issues. He finds that members of Congress change positions on very visible final passage votes in response to their districts, but not on poorly understood procedural votes

Local Economies and National Politics: How Members of Congress Respond to Economic Crisis

This dissertation examines the nature of dyadic representation in the House of Representatives during the contemporary era of elite polarization and nationalized political conflict. Members of the House are each accountable to a unique geographic constituency but face pressures from polarized national parties. How do lawmakers balance these competing pressures? I argue that members of Congress are responsive to the needs of their districts, but that the nature of the representational relationship depends on the characteristics of the district, level of intra-party consensus on the issue at hand, and the visibility of the behavior in question. I have compiled a unique dataset of district characteristics measured annually between 2006 and 2013. This dataset includes economic indicators such as foreclosure and unemployment rates, employment by economic sector, income, and poverty, as well as a host of demographic and opinion measures. Local economic changes during this time period present an opportunity to identify constituency effects because they are very weakly correlated with other political characteristics. My dissertation is the first study to annually measure the economic and political situation of every district for an extended period of time and to track the district level effects of an unfolding economic crisis, which presents a unique opportunity to study legislative responsiveness. In three empirical chapters I examine constituency influence on issue positions, issue priorities, and legislative success. The results show that dyadic representation in the House has not fully nationalized, but neither is it equal from place to place or across legislative actions. There appears to be greater responsiveness on the least consequential activities and those least relevant to partisan agenda control. There is no evidence that responsiveness as measured depends on district characteristics. Whether and how Congress responds to economic or other national problems likely depends on the party and ideology representing the most affected districts

Cayton_Replication_Data – Supplemental material for Representation When Constituent Opinion and District Conditions Collide

<p>Supplemental material, Cayton_Replication_Data for Representation When Constituent Opinion and District Conditions Collide by E. Scott Adler, Adam F. Cayton and John D. Griffin in Political Research Quarterly</p

Online_Appendix_online_supp – Supplemental material for Representation When Constituent Opinion and District Conditions Collide

<p>Supplemental material, Online_Appendix_online_supp for Representation When Constituent Opinion and District Conditions Collide by E. Scott Adler, Adam F. Cayton and John D. Griffin in Political Research Quarterly</p