Score contribution per author:
α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count
This paper studies the behavior of average length of tenure for cohorts of U.S. representatives who entered office from 1953-89. Using a new methodology, it addresses the following questions. How much longer do representatives stay in office now compared to, say, twenty years ago? If an increase in tenure has occurred, when did it begin? Are reelection outcomes or voluntary departures the primary determinants of changes in congressional tenure over time? The results of this study are then applied to a number of hypotheses concerning possible causes of longer congressional stays. Copyright 1992 by Kluwer Academic Publishers