To Stay, to Quit, or to Move Up: Explaining the Growth of Careerism in the House of Representatives, 1878-1940

Abstract

[enter Abstract Body]One of the most frequently noted historical trends in the study of America's institutional development is the steady growth of careerism in Congress. From the 1850s until the end of the century, the percent of members of the House of Representatives entering the chamber for the first time declined from 60 to 24 percent. Numerous explanations have been proposed to account for this trend including historical events, various incumbency-favoring electoral reforms and even the reinforcing effects of a rapidly evolving, member-friendly work environment in the House. This paper reports current research assessing the evidence for these and other explanations on the career choices of House incumbents. The tentative findings suggest a complex choice environment that varied significantly by region, over time, and according to the alternative career move available to the politician.

Paper prepared for presentation to the meetings of the American Political Science Association, Philadelphia, PA, August 28-31, 2003. I want to thank Peter Nardulli and Charles Stewart for use of their realignment and committee portfolio data. This research is supported by NSF (SES-0136260). The findings are tentative; please do not quote or cite without permission. Comments and suggestions welcomed.