Members of Parliament (MPs) are often dismissed as “trained seals,” helpless to do anything other than take commands from party leaders. Representation in Action challenges this view of Canadian MPs and shows that the ways they represent their constituents are as diverse as Canada itself. Royce Koop, Heather Bastedo, and Kelly Blidook examine the types of activities Members of Parliament engage in, within their constituencies and in Ottawa, and they systemically determine what accounts for differences in style and agency. Drawing on original observational and interview research with eleven MPs and featuring detailed in-depth case studies, this book shows how MPs develop distinct approaches to the role of representative when addressing policy concerns, assisting constituents with problems, and connecting with those who elect them. The first book to use intensive participant-observation methods to study Canadian MPs and representation, Representation in Action is a compelling portrait of diversity in representational styles.

Royce Koop writes about political parties, representation, local politics, and online political communication. He is the author of Grassroots Liberals: Organizing for Local National Politics (UBC Press, 2015), which won the 2014 Seymour Martin Lipset Best Book Award from the American Political Science Association, and, with Peter J. Loewen, Jaime Settle, and James H. Fowler, “A Natural Experiment in Proposal Power and Electoral Success,” American Journal of Political Science 58, no. 1 (2014).

Royce Koop's profile page

Heather Bastedo's profile page

Kelly Blidook's profile page

This is a highly readable book that provides ample evidence and argumentation that MPs are self-consciously engaged in representational styles and strategies that are coherent and responsive to the demands and expectations of their diverse constituencies. This is a good news story and I highly recommend it.

Canadian Journal of Political Science

[A] fascinating new book ... Representation in Action is destined to become a field guide for a generation of students and researchers who want to collect real-world data about parliamentarians.

The Hill Times