ABSTRACT
Constituency service was cited as the most time consuming aspect of a Sri Lankan legislator's job. This chapter examines the nature of the relationship between the members and their constituents as it pertains to the granting of particularized benefits. It looks at the growth of constituent demands for particularized benefits and the causes of it. The chapter analyses the legislators' attitudes and behavior concerning the granting of particularized benefits. Those members with the greatest amount of patronage and policy-making power in the government claimed the highest number of constituents coming to see them with requests. When the number of constituents coming to the members is examined, there appears to be no relationship between the number of constituents coming to the members and their attitudes about their role in answering their demands. Even when the formal authority of the members was held constant, no relationship was found.
