The Non-Substantive Benefits of Latino Descriptive Representatives: Approval and Efficacy.

The relative importance of descriptive representation is a contentious issue in American politics. This paper investigates the relationship between descriptive representation and the political attitudes of the Latino population. Specifically, we test the impact of dyadic descriptive representation on Latino political efficacy and individual approval ratings of members of Congress. Building on normative theories of descriptive representation, we suggest that Latino co-ethnic representation is likely to bolster these political attitudes because Latino representatives provide cues to constituents that circumvent the social and psychological barriers that often impair successful inter-racial communication. We use the ANES 2008 Time-Series Study of the American electorate to analyze the impact of representation on Latino efficacy and Latino approval ratings of members of Congress. We find that descriptive representation bolsters feelings of external efficacy among Latinos and it leads to higher approval ratings of individual members of Congress. These results suggest that descriptive representation confers symbolic benefits that transcend policy outcomes among the Latino population. While the policymaking process remains central in representational government, our results imply that constituents also value other factors. In legislators' efforts to build loyalty and support within their district, being descriptively representative of constituents may go quite far in supporting the long-term health of democracy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]