This is a response to "Politicians Get Minimum Wage" and "Politicians Wages Based On Average Income."
If we pay politicians minimum wage, I fear that the adage "you get what you pay for" will apply.
On the other hand, if we pay politicians a wage based on averaging together the incomes of all citizens
in the politician's jurisdiction, I think that the politician wouldn't have much incentive to do a lot to raise wages for very low-income people. You'd have to raise the bottom end of the range of incomes quite a bit before the politician would see a significant raise in their own income.
Anyhow, more money for lower-income families, while helpful, is not the only important accomplishment that a politician should strive for.
I think that the chief of state for this hypothetical country, should post a list of improvements that state and city offices can make in their jurisdiction. (Ideas for postings include: lowered crime, lowered prison population, lowered pollution, increase in health of citizens, lowered traffic accident numbers...)
Each of these improvements would have a pay scale listed for achieving it. For example: Lower the rate of traffic accidents in your city 3% in a given monthly pay period, and receive $5,000.
Given time and experimentation, each state or city could set a pay scale for achievements in each politician's sphere of influence, such that if a politician does an excellent job during their term, they can expect to earn an upper middle class wage consistent with the local economy.
In other words, a Mayor who was successful in making her city a much better place to live, would end up earning as much as a well-paid doctor, attorney, or CEO of a small company would earn in that city.
This idea was inspired when I heard that doctors in France get paid an incentive for every patient that they get to quit smoking. The healthier they make their patients, the more they are paid. This is really an extension of that principle.
The thing that frustrates me the most about politicians is that they seem to get to partially set their own to-do list for their time in office - and then there's little to no accountability if they don't achieve. I think this system would give politicians incentive to be accountable to the citizens who elected them.