Wealth Inequality and Lawmaking in the U.S. Congress

• In Event: Research in Five (Graduate Students) Session II

Abstract

How important is the personal wealth of members of Congress for the advancement of their legislative agenda through Congress? This paper leverages data on the personal finances of Representatives from 2004-2014 in order to estimate their net worth and explore whether legislators are more or less successful at advancing their agenda items, depending on their wealth. I find that wealthier members are more successful at advancing their policy agendas in Congress than their less wealthy colleagues. Moreover, while wealth is not correlated with what members will introduce or the size and diversity of their legislative portfolio, I find that wealthy Representatives are more likely to advance their legislation in the stages that require consensus-building within and outside of the House. Meanwhile, the least-wealthiest members of Congress struggle to advance their agenda past the initial bill introduction stage and appear underrepresented in most major policy areas. More broadly considered, my findings suggest significant consequences of wealth inequality among legislators and highlight the legislative strategies employed by wealthy Representatives that provide them with substantial policy-making influence in Congress.

Author

• Darrian Stacy