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Choosing you own boss: Variations of representation foci in mixed electoral systems
Title / Series / Name
Journal of Legislative Studies
Publication Volume
21
Publication Issue
4
Pages
Authors
Editors
Keywords
URI
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14018/13404
Abstract
Members of parliament are privileged agents. They can choose who to regard as their principal: the entire nation, a particular electoral district or a political party. Focusing on two countries with mixed electoral systems, Romania and Hungary, the article documents the dominance of the electoral logic of role-formation over the constraints of legislative organisation and the influence of socialisation. The focus of representation is found to be only modestly influenced by the degree of the embeddedness of MPs in political structures and hierarchies. The association of the seat with a particular territorial unit, on the other hand, has a robust effect even when this association originates in the political environment and not in formal rules. Finally, the psychological effect of losing a Single Member District is also found to influence how MPs perceive their representative role.
Topic
Publisher
Place of Publication
Type
Journal article
Date
2015
Language
ISBN
Identifiers
http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13572334.2015.1077025