Patterns of renewal and continuity in parliamentary elites. The Greek MPs from 1996 to 2015

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article focuses on patterns of renewal and continuity in the Greek Parliament. The data include information about MPs from the parliamentary elections in 1996 through to 2015. Three main concerns are discussed: patterns of circulation of newcomers MPs; patterns of parliamentary turnover in respect to political and electoral transformations introduced by the debt crisis; and patterns of continuity for long-standing MPs. I argue that incoming MPs tend to replicate the mainstream educational and political resources of the core parliamentarians and, at the same time, powerful patterns of perpetuation exist, which sustain the career opportunities of the long-standing MPs. However, a parliamentary turnover is possible during times of crises but also through the renewal of political generations.