The Myth of Representation and the Florida Legislature A House of Competing Loyalities, 1927-2000 |
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Author:
| Prier, Eric |
ISBN: | 978-0-8130-2669-5 |
Publication Date: | Nov 2003 |
Publisher: | University Press of Florida
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Book Format: | Hardback |
List Price: | USD $59.95 |
Book Description:
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"An excellent book that explores the nature of representation in democracy and then, using empirical data, examines how theories of, and myths about, representation apply to the Florida legislature. The author concludes that most Floridians are not represented very well under the present system."-- Aubrey Jewett, University of Central Florida, Orlando Florida's state legislators are elected to represent Floridians' interests in Tallahassee, but many voters are...
More Description
"An excellent book that explores the nature of representation in democracy and then, using empirical data, examines how theories of, and myths about, representation apply to the Florida legislature. The author concludes that most Floridians are not represented very well under the present system."-- Aubrey Jewett, University of Central Florida, Orlando
Florida's state legislators are elected to represent Floridians' interests in Tallahassee, but many voters are often left wondering why so many unwanted policies get implemented. Eric Prier investigates the muddled nature of political representation in the Florida legislature and reveals why so many Florida citizens believe that their voices are not heard in Tallahassee.
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This book provides a framework for understanding the tangle of hidden problems in the Florida House of Representatives in the 20th century. Florida legislators toil in an environment of competing allegiances, Prier says, allegedly acting simultaneously in the name of voters, other legislators, and their political parties. They are expected to pay attention to their constituents, but which ones? Rival loyalties often undercut their decisions while amplifying the effectiveness of certain players who can dominate the policy setting.
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Re-creating the era of one?party politics, Prier evaluates the extent to which rural Democrats maintained control of the chamber by the actions of presiding officers and by assignments to powerful committees. In a discussion of the history of malapportionment and redistricting he shows that declining voter turnout, the prevalence of uncontested legislative seats, and the decrease in the percentage of the population that actually elects a majority to the legislature all serve to make the Florida house unrepresentative of the state's population. He explains the reapportionment rulings that paved the way for the doctrine of one person, one vote which indirectly resulted in party competition and the rise of the Republican Party.
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He also analyzes the inequality in political influence between elites and masses, displayed primarily by the rapidly growing number of interest groups and professional lobbyists in Florida.nbsp; In addition, Prier makes the case that it is the legislative institution itself that tends to subvert the representation of citizens.nbsp; The book ends by suggesting that few reforms can save legislative representation as a viable theory of politics.
Eric Prier is assistant professor of political science at Florida Atlantic University, Davie.