Dr. Royce Koop conducts research primarily on representation and political parties. In this presentation, he asks the following: how do Canadian MPs represent their constituents? For several years, he and his colleagues have attempted to answer that question by following MPs around while they did their jobs in both their ridings and Ottawa. Dr. Koop will discuss the findings from this research, particularly how we can understand MPs’ representational styles and how this approach enhances our understanding of the roles of MPs in parliamentary settings.

Dr. Royce Koop is an associate professor in the Department of Political Studies at the University of Manitoba. He conducts research primarily on representation and political parties. He is the author of Grassroots Liberal: Organizing for Local and National Politics (UBC Press, 2011) co-author (with Heather Bastedo and Kelly Blidook) of Representation in Action: Canadian MPs in the Constituencies (UBC Press, 2018), and co-editor (with Amanda Bittner) of Parties, Elections and the Future of Canadian Politics (UBC Press, 2013).