Prior Experience and State Legislative Effectiveness

Abstract

How do the prior experiences of lawmakers shape their performance in office? Representatives who have held prior elected office or professional backgrounds in relevant fields—specifically law, government, or politics—seem to have an advantage in winning elections. It is unclear whether those experiences help them become more effective legislators. Using a variety of data sources, we assess whether lawmakers with relevant prior experiences are more effective in advancing bills in the 50 state legislatures. We find mixed results. We find that state senators are more effective than their colleagues if they first served in the state house, but that prior local officeholders are no more effective than first-time officeholders. Among occupational groups, lawyers alone seem to make more effective lawmakers than their colleagues. The results suggest that some narrow types of experience may help lawmakers be more effective in office, but that general experience in government and politics does not predict effectiveness. The results can help political observers and voters assess candidates' claims about how their prior experience will help them contribute to governance.