My dissertation investigates how individual and institutional factors shape the complexity of legislative texts in both Congress and the U.S. states. Drawing on large-scale datasets of bill texts, I conceptualize and develop measures to examine how legislators use complexity to signal expertise, navigate institutional constraints, and appeal to different audiences. Using text-as-data approaches and statistical modeling, my dissertation reveals how legislator's backgrounds and institutional roles shape the bills they write, showing how complexity functions as a strategic tool of policymaking and representation.

 Taylor Tokos CV