Participation as Instrument and Expression: Some Evidence from the States

Abstract

This study attempts to further refine and clarify the literature of policy output in the American states. Within the realm of political participation, previous studies have assumed a direct flow of influence from citizen acts to governmental activity. This study investigates two propositions relating to participation and its effect on output. First it expands the notion of participation to include indirect citizen participation through organizational activity. It then tests the hypothesis that participation through these supplementary representative institutions will have an effect on state policy. Secondly this study investigates the effect that personal direct, as well as indirect, participation might have on levels of disaffection in a political system. Though individual participation may have little direct consequence for substantive policy output, it may be of tremendous import in the level of disaffection in-and therefore the stability of-political systems. The results of the study require that the implication of earlier studies-that participation has no discernible effect on governmental operations-once again be amended. Our results indicate that participation, if its definition includes indirect activity, does have a large and independent impact on policy expenditures, and that participation in a system does appear to increase satisfaction with that system.