The different profiles of representational role orientations: the case of local councilors in Lithuania

Existing research on political representation builds on the classical notions of style and focus of representation as key elements of elected officials' role orientations (Eulau et al., 1959; Wahlke et al., 1962; Eulau and Karps, 1977; Searing, 1991). The style of representation and the resulting typologies of representatives have received more attention (Wahlke et al., 1962; Saalfeld and Müller, 1997; Andeweg and Thomassen, 2005; Andeweg, 2014). Styles of political representative roles can be categorised into several main types, each reflecting a different approach to how elected politicians perceive and perform their duties and functions. These styles are not only theoretical constructs, but also serve as a framework for understanding the behaviour of political representatives in decision-making practice. Each of these representational styles offers a different perspective on the role and responsibilities of elected officials and may exhibit characteristics of multiple styles depending on the institutional or political context (Egner et al., 2013). On the one hand, the main role of councillors is to ensure responsiveness to local citizens and provide links between the internal and external local arena (De Groot, Denters, Klok 2010). We use empirical sample data from a quantitative online survey of local councillors conducted in 2023-2024 in several European countries (18 countries representing Western Europe, the Nordics and CEE). In this presentation we ask the following research questions: which aspects of councilors' tasks are considered particularly important from the perspective of their role perceptions; how do local politicians perceive their roles and responsibilities; is there a relationship between councilors' role perceptions and role behaviour; what are the main predictors of different role orientations; are there significant differences in role perceptions between local politicians from different political parties?