Casework: What We Do and Don’t Know
Casework happens 24/7, 365 days a year, in every Congressional office, in both parties, both chambers, at federal, state, and local levels, and internationally—which is startling considering how little attention it has received in American political scholarship.
For the true nerds interested in diving into casework studies (a political science specialization that we fervently hope will exist one day), we present an unsolicited wish list of questions we wish scholars would help answer on casework in a US context, and a short reading list of existing scholarship.
Have other resources, or need a copy of one of these articles? Please drop us a line at casework@popvox.org!
Data and Research Wish List
How many caseworkers are there?
Our research suggests somewhere around 1500 in February of 2023, but titles and portfolios vary so widely in Congress (for example—caseworker, constituent advocate, constituent services representative, constituent liaison, and more) that it’s almost impossible to come up with an exact count.
Across the House and Senate, what are the demographics and professional backgrounds of casework staffers?
Anecdotally, casework hiring varies widely between offices, with some treating casework as an entry-level opportunity for recent college graduates and campaign volunteers, and others actively recruiting experienced professionals from departing offices and relevant other industries like social work, legal advocacy, the military, and mental healthcare.
Also anecdotally, women and people of color may be relatively over-represented among casework staff, with offices specifically recruiting caseworkers who are able to connect with specific communities in their districts (for example, Spanish-speakers or other recent immigrant populations). However, the scarcity of demographic data on Congressional staff in general, combined with the difficulty of identifying staff with casework portfolios by title alone, makes it difficult to draw substantive conclusions.
How many cases are handled by caseworkers in the House and Senate each year?
This is tricky for a few reasons:
There are no common definitions of a “case:” Offices often define what counts as a “case” differently: some offices count referrals, some offices count inquiries where constituents never complete Privacy Act Release Forms, and some offices only count cases that actually proceed to agency inquiries.
There is currently no single body in either the House or Senate that tracks casework. Numbers for offices are distributed across multiple competing casework software vendors; agency liaison offices that handle Congressional cases also have differing standards for tracking data—if they have systems at all.
There is some hope: the House has recently signaled some interest in setting up a system that would track anonymized casework data across the country. While this is likely still some ways off, and only in one chamber, it may lay the groundwork for a system that allows caseworkers and the public to understand the scale of assistance Congress offers to constituents.
Where do caseworkers go after leaving Congressional service?
Congressional “brain drain” has received increased attention recently for its implications for legislative capacity—and the deep expertise and institutional knowledge of caseworkers is no different. But although some watchdog groups track the “revolving door” for DC-based staff after leaving Congress, no such data exists on where district staff, including caseworkers, land after serving in Congress.
How does American Congressional casework compare to its counterparts at other levels of domestic US government, and international legislatures?
The ability to petition the government, specifically elected representatives, for the redress of grievances is a hallmark of democracy. However, there is little data contextualizing Congressional casework among its international peers, or its domestic counterparts.
How does casework impact civic trust, participation, and agency?
As a caseworker, it can be tough to gauge whether or how much casework has a net effect on constituent trust in government: ideally, constituents come away from a case with renewed or increased trust in their representative to do the right thing, but that may not make up for the loss of trust caused by the necessity to seek additional assistance. Deep ethnographic research examining the broader civic impacts of casework would be fascinating and of great utility for offices in using limited resources on casework.
Existing Scholarship
Congressional Research Service – Casework in a Congressional Office: Background, Rules, Laws, and Resources
Covers the law and history, including footnotes on the earliest records of casework in the first few Congresses, and some of the basic decisions and materials offices need to get started. (Updated April 2021)
Furnas, A., and LaPira, T. – Congressional Brain Drain: Legislative Capacity in the 21st Century
While the article is light on the value of district-based work, it nonetheless contains some of the most comprehensive and recent data about the rise in the number of district staff in response to increased demands for casework. This does not reflect changes to staff capacity during the pandemic, repatriation, Afghanistan withdrawal, and other high-demand periods in the last few years. (New America, September 8th, 2020)
Ortiz, Larry; Wirz, Cindy; Semion, Kelli; and Rodriguez, Ciro – Legislative Casework: Where Policy and Practice Intersect
Follows one particular Congressional office, with a few vignettes. (The Journal of Sociology & Social Welfare: Vol. 31 : Iss. 2, Article 4, 2004)
Fenno, Richard – Home Style: House Members in their Districts
Deep anthropological look at how Members see work in their districts. Good casework coverage. (2003)
Johannes, John R. – Casework as a Technique of U. S. Congressional Oversight of the Executive
Examines the effectiveness of casework as a technique for oversight. Current caseworkers will be shocked at how applicable some assessments are to casework today. (Legislative Studies Quarterly, vol. 4, no. 3, 1979, pp. 325–51)
Johannes, John R., and John C. McAdams – Entrepreneur or Agent; Congressmen and the Distribution of Casework, 1977-1978.
Extremely relevant to ongoing debates about whether and how Congressional offices can and should actively solicit casework. (The Western Political Quarterly, vol. 40, no. 3, 1987, pp. 535–53)
