This is a high quality A* essay with the following title: evaluate the extent to which congress is a representative institution. It comes with tips on how to get full marks in the essay and is a great model to use for you to emulate so you too can get an A* in your essays.
Evaluate the extent to which congress is a representative institution?
*This is an essay written in timed and exam conditions
Tips on getting full marks:
Make sure to use more examples in your essays. You get more marks for recent
examples because it shows political engagement rather than you passively
regurgitating textbook material that hundreds of other students will also use.
Make sure to fully justify your argument and counteract the opposing view
completely. Pretend you are a lawyer arguing a case, you must explain why your
argument is more valid than the other side.
Use more sophisticated language to further your analysis.
For this specific essay, statistics can be very useful in justifying your point so you
could make flash cards on the topic and write some statistics. For example, on how
many women make up the senate etc.
The American congress is not a representative institution that reflects both its citizens and
their views. The system of first past the post in elections together with the fact that congress
does not mirror the makeup pf the United States socially highlights how it is not a
representative institution. While opponents to this view may highlight the fact that congress
possess a bicameral structure where both the house and the senate are elected together
with the fact that mid term elections allow greater representation. Ultimately, though the
process of gerrymandering and high incumbency rates makes this argument weak.
Therefore, congress is not a representative institution.
Firstly, one of the most significant reasons that justifies the fact that the American congress
is not a representative institution is due to the fact that congress does not reflect the make
up of America as a nation. For example, 23% of women make up the senate together with
the fact that 19% of congress as of 2017 was non white. Congress cannot be deemed to be
representative when it does not mirror the country and the people who inhabit it. Although
some may argue that white representatives and senators can advocate for the views of non-
white citizens, ultimately what is more important is congress reflecting the people which
inhabit the country. Moreover, the average age for a senator is 63 reflecting how congress
again cannot be wholly representative as the people who consist in it are likely not to hold
similar views to the people who vote for them. Ultimately, the fact that there is little social
representation in congress justifies how it is not wholly a representative institution.
In addition to this, this argument can further be justified through the fact that both the use of
first past the post makes congress less representative and the element of disproportionality
present in congress. Firstly, the use of first past the post reduces the chance for congress to
be representative as the process of ‘winner takes all’ reduces other parties and indeed
candidates to be given a voice which prevents greater representation as voters whose views
differ from the majority of the population are not heard. This therefore greatly limits
representation. Furthermore, the disproportionality present in the senate further justifies that
congress is not a representative institution. For example, a senator cannot understand nor
thoroughly reflect the demands of their constituents use to the element of disproportionality
present in the system. For instance, each state has 2 senators regardless of size. The
senator representing California with millions of people will not be able to reflect the views as
efficiently as the senators from Wyoming with a much smaller population. Overall, this again
reduces congress being a representative institution.
Opponents to this view would argue that congress is representative as both its chambers are
elected together with the fact that it holds separate elections foe the legislature and the
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