Imagine being so interested in American politics that you decide to do some independent research into the relationship between power and representation in these politically polarized times. As you are learning, knowing who exercises political power helps you understand how power is used and the interests that are represented. Where do you start looking for information?
Since the three branches of government (legislative, executive, and judicial) make national policies, you decide to begin with the US Congress because it is the one institution of government where the people’s interests—theoretically—are represented. You choose to look into the makeup of Congress as the first step to understanding who is in power to see if they are representative of the people. To get you going, here is some data you can review to learn about the makeup of Congress. Take your time reviewing the link below:
https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2021/03/10/the-changing-face-of-congress/.
What you find may surprise you, such as the number of young people who are now serving or the increased %’s in racial, ethnic, gender, and religious diversity of the Congress.
Here are some highlights from the Pew Research Center’s analysis of the 117th Congress, whose members were elected in 2020 (along with Joe Biden as president).
