Introduction

This chapter examines constituent demands placed on Sri Lankan legislators from the perspective of the legislators. It focuses on three components of a legislator's job: law-making, constituency service, and the use of government funds for development and public works projects. The chapter argues that representation is a fundamentally different concept than the earlier researchers believed it to be. The chapter explores the applicability of the "inherited formulations of representation" in the context of a modernizing nation. Sri Lanka provides a unique opportunity to study representation. Gerhard Loewenberg has noted that the conceptual framework derived from research on the United States Congress has produced a confusing body of findings. Related to the structure of the legislature is the nature of the electoral system under which the legislators have been elected. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in this book.