Senators at Home: Local Attentiveness and Policy Representation in Congress

Is local attention a substitute for policy representation? Fenno (1978) famously described how legislators develop personal ties with their constituents through periodic visits to their districts and carefully crafted communications. Existing work suggests that such interactions insulate incumbents electorally, creating less need to represent constituents’ policy preferences. Surprisingly, this important argument has never been tested systematically. In this paper, I use data on senator travel and staffing behavior along with survey data from the 2011–2018 Cooperative Congressional Election Study to investigate this claim. In addition to showing that areas with important campaign donors are significantly more likely to receive resources, I find that local visits may decrease approval among ideologically opposed constituents. Furthermore, I find inconsistent evidence regarding the effectiveness of local staff. These results suggest that local attention does not always cultivate goodwill in the district. Under polarized politics, home style does not effectively substitute for policy representation.

THE TOPIC OF CHILDHOOD AND CREATIVE PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT IN AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL HALYNA ZHURBA’S NOVEL “DISTANT LAND”

Мета. Метою статті є аналіз фактів, які демонструють основні моменти зародження, формування й становлення творчої особистості майбутньої письменниці Галини Журби на прикладі її автобіографічної повісті «Далекий світ».Методи. У роботі використано біографічний метод, порівняльно-історичний, наратологічний, загальнонаукову методику синтезу, аналізу, спостереження, добору та систематизації матеріалу та психоаналіз.Результати. Звернено увагу на психологічний портрет письменниці в ранньому дитинстві. Особливу увагу приділено таким якостям характеру, як наполегливість, впертість, лідерські задатки, схильність до самостійних вчинків та вміння спо-стерігати й помітити те, чим діти зазвичай не цікавляться. Окремий аспект – родина дівчинки та її близьке оточення, історія роду, події та випробування, що випали на долю старшого покоління та вплинули на майбутню письменницю. Розглянуто й проаналізовано домашній уклад та світ дітей, котрі органічно почуваються серед мальовничої української природи. Форму-вання в дітей вільнолюбства свідчить, що в родині поважали дитячу думку та брали до уваги їхні бажання. У статті зазначено захоплення родини театром, мистецтвом, усі вільно спілкувались кількома мовами.Висновки. Проаналізовано різні підходи письменниці до відтворення навколишнього світу крізь призму сприйняття маленької дитини в моменти найбільших збурень емоцій та неповторних вражень. Галина Журба поєднує деталізовану оповідь із нюансу-ванням найтонших вражень дитячої душі. Яскраві образи, що постають перед читачем, схоплені променем внутрішнього бачен-ня дитини, з особливим, довірливим тоном мудрого наратора. Звернено увагу на тонке сприйняття палітри кольорів та звукової мелодики, що підтверджує наявність у дитини творчого начала й пояснює витоки майбутнього тяжіння авторки до імпресіонізму. Помічено, що письменниці прекрасно вдається перейти від власних спогадів і вражень до слова, здатного їх утримати й донести до читача, зберігши колорит того часу й відчуття автентичності. В описі подій поруч з автобіографізмом й документальністю зна-ходимо безпосередність враження й асоціативність мислення, що яскраво висвітлюють сутність самої письменниці.Purpose. The purpose of the article is toanalyze the facts testifying the main aspects of the future writer Halyna Zhurba’s creative personality genesis, establishment and development on the basis of her autobiographical novel “Distant Land”.Methods. The biographical method, comparative-historical method, narrative method general scientific methods of synthesis, analysis, observation, selection and systematization of material, and deep analysis are used in the work.Results. Attention is paid to the writer’s psychological portrait in her early childhood. Special attention is paid to such personality qualities as persistence, stubbornness, leadership, inclination for independent actions and ability to watch and notice things children aren’t usually interested in. A separate aspect is the girl’s family and her close surrounding, family history, events and hardships that the older generation faced and their impact on the future writer. The article describes and analyzes the future writer’s home style and the world of children who feel organic in the picturesque Ukrainian nature and communicate freely with peasants. The development of such children’s qualities as love for freedom proves that the family respected the children’s opinion and took into account their desires. The article reveals the parents’ special attitude to children’s education, their comprehensive development and theatre fascination.Conclusions. Different writer’s approaches to recreate the surrounding world through a prism of little child’s perception at the moments of highest emotional splashes and unique impressions are analyzed. Halyna Zhurba combines a detailed story with the nuances of the child’s soul delicate impressions. Bright images, arising to a reader, are full of the child’s inner vision mixed with the omniscient narrator’s particularly trustful tone. Special attention is drawn to the subtle perception of the colour palette and sound melody that testifies the child’s creative gift and explains the origins of the author’s future attraction to impressionism. It is emphasized that the writer perfectly manages to move from her own memories and impressions to the words that can retain and convey them to a reader, preserve the flavour of the time and sense of authenticity. The sincerity of impression and associative thinking as well as the autobiographical and documentary aspects can be traced in the description of events.

The Dilemma of Saudi Arabian Homes in Riyadh

The courtyard form of the traditional Arab house responded to both climate and the culture of its inhabitants. Islamic values, as well as socioeconomic factors, played crucial roles in the design. However, the mid-20th century marked the beginning of Saudi Arabia’s first rapid economic growth as a result of the discovery of oil; which dramatically increased the wealth and prosperity of the population, and resulted in new lifestyles. This period witnessed the introduction of the grid layout street pattern and the detached villa house. This type became the prevalent style in Saudi Arabia, the central province, and Riyadh in particular. While the traditional courtyard house more than satisfied cultural needs, increasingly it was viewed inappropriate for affluent 21st-century lifestyles. Yet this research confirmed that the villa style is creating fundamental problems for Saudi families. The theoretical framework is set in sustainability theory, and investigates the principles of home through human needs, place, and house. The methodology uses a survey strategy with questionnaires, interviews, and building analysis to determine which aspects of home are satisfied by each type. The dilemma is that Saudi families will not return to the courtyard type because it does not meet important requirements of status; whereas the villa type does not meet significant criteria such as privacy. The context is increasing climatic temperatures, which are making both types increasingly uncomfortable. This study highlights the need for a specific contemporary home style that would satisfy 21st-century aspirations, respect Islamic culture, and respond to changing climate.

Presidential Home Style: Trump in the Era of COVID-19

In Homestyle: House Members in their Districts (1978) Richard Fenno argued that members of Congress utilize different “home styles” when communicating with various segments of their constituency. These tailored, face-to-face interactions help build trust, are essential to the reelection effort, and shape member behavior once in office. In this paper, we reconfigure and extend Fenno’s theory to help explain presidential (in)action in the digital age. By analyzing President Trump’s daily press briefings and social media presence during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, we argue that just as a representative’s home style carries over into governance, the same can be said for a president in what we have called “presidential home styles.” We find that the characteristics that made Trump a successful campaigner in the 2016 election are not conducive to effective governance, especially during a crisis.

Development of an online tool for sodium intake assessment in Mexico

Excess sodium intake is associated with adverse health effects, and reducing its intake is a strategy that improves population health. However, estimating sodium intake is challenging and new options for assessment are needed. This review describes the design and development of a web-based, publicly-accessible, dietary sodium intake screening tool (Calculadora de Sodio) for individuals in Mexico. Sodium data from 2017 – 2018 for 3 429 packaged foods, 655 restaurant and cafeteria foods, and 320 home-style meals and street foods (determined by chemical analysis) comprised the 71-question tool. It was piloted with 10 nutrition experts for feedback on content and face validity; and with 30 potential users to test its usability and interface. Improvements were made to content, language, and formatting following the pilot. Its predictive validity will be established in the future. The Calculadora de Sodio provides instant feedback on an individual’s average daily sodium intake, computed by frequency of intake, average number of servings, and sodium content per serving of each sodium-focused food category. This is the first web-based dietary sodium screening tool developed for the general population of Mexico. It is an efficient and practical way to assess sodium intake and can serve as a model for similar tools for other countries and regions.