Explain the trustee and instructed-delegate views of representation. Give an example of each.

What will be an ideal response?

Answers will vary. Under the trustee view of representation, a legislator should act according to her or his conscience and perception of national needs. For example, a senator from North Carolina might support laws regulating cigarette sales, even though the state's economy could be negatively affected. The instructed-delegate view of representation requires representatives to mirror the views of their constituents, regardless of their opinions. Under this view, a senator from Nebraska would strive to obtain subsidies for corn growers, and a representative from the Detroit area would seek to protect the automobile industry. Legislators who are acting as instructed delegates are particularly likely to try to insert language into various bills that would benefit special interests back home. Such provisions are called earmarks, or pork-barrel legislation.