1. Studying the chain of representation; 2. Our solutions to the challenges of studying the chain of representation; Part I. Stages: 3. Stage 1: citizens' preferences; 4. Stage 2: policymakers' preferences; 5. Stage 3: public policies chosen; 6. Placing preferences and policies on a common scale; Part II. Linkages: 7. Linkage 1: electoral systems; 8. Linkage 2: policymaking processes; Part III. Testing the Chain of Representation: 9. From citizens to policymakers; 10. From policymakers to policies; 11. From citizen to policies; 12. A chain is only as strong as its weakest link.
A comparative analysis of why democratic institutions often produce dissonance between citizens' preferences and public policy in separation-of-powers regimes.
Brian F. Crisp is a Professor of Political Science at Washington University, St Louis. His work on electoral systems, legislative politics, interbranch relations, and policy choices has been published in The American Journal of Political Science, The American Political Science Review, and The Journal of Politics. He is also the Executive Editor of Legislative Studies Quarterly. Santiago Olivella is an Assistant Professor of Political Science at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. His research focuses on developing quantitative tools to study issues in electoral and legislative politics. He has published articles in Political Analysis, the American Journal of Political Science, the British Journal of Political Science, the Journal of Politics, and Electoral Studies. Guillermo Rosas is an Associate Professor of Political Science at Washington University, St Louis. His research explores the economic consequences of political regimes and political elite behavior. He is the author of Curbing Bailouts: Bank Crises and Democratic Accountability in Comparative Perspective (2010) and co-author of Latin American Party Systems (Cambridge, 2010).
'This very important book applies the logic of institutional design
and sequential stages of representation to describe and explain the
connections between citizens and policies in presidential
democracies. The 'separation-of-powers' systems of Latin America,
with their directly elected chief executives and greatly varying
policymaking powers, provide an additional level of institutional
variation. Its incorporation in this book makes a unique and
memorable contribution to the representation literature.' G.
Bingham Powell, Jr, University of Rochester
'This book represents a genuine breakthrough in systematic
understanding of the 'chain' that links policy outcomes to
citizens' preferences in democracies - and not only in its Latin
American setting. By developing a common scale for the 'moods' of
citizens and elected officials, as well as for actual policy
outcomes, the book shows how electoral systems and the separation
of powers shape degrees of democratic responsiveness.' Matthew S.
Shugart, Distinguished Professor of Political Science, University
of California, Davis
'The pathway from public opinion to policy is exceedingly complex,
but Crisp, Olivella, and Rosas accomplish the seemingly
insurmountable task of bringing into a single analysis this entire
chain - voter preferences, electoral systems, leader preferences,
executive/legislative relations, and policy outputs. This book is
now required reading for scholars not just of Latin America but of
the relationships between any of these links in the chain of
representation.' Andy Baker, University of Colorado, Boulder
'Democratic institutions give voters the power to select
self-interested politicians that implement the policies that voters
want. Simple enough if voters know what they want, politicians do
as they are told, and policies perform as expected. In The Chain of
Representation, Crisp, Olivella, and Rosas, present an elegant
integrated model to understand how congruent voters, politicians,
and policy outcomes are. Who in political science has not dreamt of
a book that effortlessly connects all stages of democratic
representation into an integrated model? I know I have.' Ernesto
Calvo, University of Maryland
'... the book describes a fascinating set of regional trends ...'
Emily Beaulieu Bacchus, Comparative Politics
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