Unity Makes Strength: Cohesion and Success Among Legislative Groups

About this event

When does descriptive representation in a governing body lead to substantive benefits for a represented group? While advocates for racial, ethnic, and gender minority advancement often argue that increased representation automatically results in better outcomes, empirical evidence is mixed. I propose that a key factor influencing the effectiveness of these groups is their ability to coordinate. Using new data on roll call votes by state legislators from historically marginalized groups from 1996 to 2020, I reveal clear differences in cohesion among these groups, which impacts their capacity to provide social benefits. Furthermore, drawing on a natural experiment and qualitative interviews with current and former state legislators, I show that identity is not destiny in shaping these individuals' political behavior; rather, institutional design—and its capacity to shape members' incentives—is crucial.