MPs’ District Work Style

Abstract

The relation between MPs and their district has been a major topic of interest for many years. Fostering a good relation with his constituents has been said to be a central condition for MPs to seek reelection. And defending the constituency in parliament has been shown to be one of the main expectations of citizens towards their MP. Yet, beyond these general elements, how the relation between MPs and their district is constructed remains unclear. In the panel, we are looking for papers addressing (1) the definition of the constituency that MPs are supposed to represent in single-member and in multi-member districts, (2) the range of activities that MPs can perform to represent their district measured by indicators such as the time spent by MPs in their district; the role of local issues in parliament, legislative initiative taken by MP in favor of the district, or pork-barrel politics. All of these activities have been surveyed in some countries. But little attention has been paid to how they are perceived. In this panel, we are interested in papers that would look at what kind of activities in favor of the district are perceived as legitimate and efficient by both voters and MPs.

Title	Details
French MPs in the Constituency – Towards the Identification of Representational Styles	View Paper Details
Constituency Work and Constituency Representation in the Service of Political Ambition	View Paper Details
MEPs and Their Voters: Analysing the Representation of Local Interests in EP’s Committee Debates	View Paper Details