I am a Ph.D. candidate in Political Science at the University of Georgia, specializing in American Politics and Political Methodology. My research lies at the intersection of congressional politics, elections, and political behavior. I study how members of Congress represent their constituencies, how voters respond to those efforts, and how institutional arrangements shape whose interests are represented.
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My current research pipeline includes forthcoming chapters in New Directions in Congressional Politics and Interest Group Politics, as well as manuscripts under review at Political Behavior and Political Analysis. My dissertation research is supported by a Rapoport Family Foundation Doctoral Dissertation Grant, which funded an original YouGov survey of 2,000 eligible U.S. voters.
My dissertation, entitled “Localism Under Pressure: Candidate Strategies in an Era of Congressional Nationalization,” investigates whether local representation remains electorally meaningful as congressional elections become increasingly nationalized and polarized. Across three projects, I connect legislators’ behavior to voters’ evaluations by examining district-specific funding, constituency service, and candidates’ presentation of their local ties. I identify when voters reward or punish local performance, showing that local representation has not disappeared but that its electoral effects depend on both the form of representation voters encounter and the strength of their partisan attachments.
Please explore other tabs on this website to learn more about my research and teaching. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at emma.bibina [at] uga.edu.
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