Abstract

One of the fundamental features of the process of representation is extensive interactions among different political actors. Social interactions play a key role in defining actors' preferences and behavior, thereby shaping the course of decision-making and its outcomes. Therefore, understanding the patterns of social interactions among political actors is critical to comprehend how representative democracy operates. Using the tools of social network analysis, this dissertation explores the patterns of social interactions that emerge in three different stages of the representation process: (I) preference formation; (II) policy-making; and (III) policy implementation. The first empirical chapter examines how politicians utilize networks built on legislative membership organizations at the stage of preference formation and agenda setting. The second empirical chapter analyzes bill cosponsorship networks of reserved seat legislators at the stage of policy-making. The last empirical chapter evaluates how horizontal networks among mayors influence their performance at the stage of policy implementation. This dissertation contributes to our understanding of the role of networks in the process of representation.

Committee Chair

Brian Crisp

Committee Members

Justin Kirkland, Christopher Lucas, Sunita Parikh, Guillermo Rosas,

Comments

Permanent URL: https://doi.org/10.7936/f70m-c423

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Author's Department

Political Science

Author's School

Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

Summer 8-15-2019

Language

English (en)

Author's ORCID

http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0304-4677

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Available for download on Tuesday, August 15, 2119

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