GENERATIONAL CHANGE AND THE ALLOCATION OF STAFF IN THE U.S. CONGRESS
In: Legislative studies quarterly, Volume 8, Issue 3, p. 457-468
ISSN: 0362-9805
THIS PAPER DEFINES SEVERAL INTERRELATED CHANGES IN THE WAYS MEMBERS OF THE U.S. HOUSE HAVE ALLOCATED THEIR PERSONAL STAFF AND IN THE DUTIES OF THEIR STAFFS. THE AVERAGE NUMBER OF STAFF PER MEMBER HAS INCREASED, THE PROPORTION OF STAFF ASSIGNED TO THE DISTRICT RATHER THAN TO WASHINGTON HAS INCREASED, AND CONSTITUENCY DUTIES FORMERLY PERFORMED BY WASHINGTON STAFF HAVE DEVOLVED ON THE ARGUMENTED DISTRICT STAFF. ALL OF THESE CHANGES HAVE OCCURRED BOTH BETWEEN SUCCESSIVE GENERATIONS OF HOUSE MEMBERS AND WITHIN COHORTS SERVING IN SUCCESSIVE CONGRESSES. HOWEVER IN OLDER COHORTS THESE CHANGES ARE LESS MARKED THAN IN NEWER COHORTS. BECAUSE THE GENERALLY LARGER DISTRICT STAFFS PERFORM MORE OF THE SERVICE TO CONSTITUENTS THAN FORMERLY, THE WASHINGTON STAFF CAN SPEND MORE TIME ON LEGISLATION AND OTHER DUTIES NOT DIRECTLY RELATED TO THE CONSTITUENCY. THESE FINDINGS MAY EXPLAIN WHY THE AVERAGE MEMBER OF THE NEW GENERATION OF HOUSE MEMBERS HAS BEEN BOTH MORE SUCCESSFUL AT THE POLLS AND MORE ACTIVE IN POLICY MAKING.