Parliamentary Elites Research Articles

Scattered Clouds in the Horizon of Consensus: Attitudes of Portuguese Parliamentary Elites Towards Europe Before and After the Crisis

Scattered Clouds in the Horizon of Consensus: Attitudes of Portuguese Parliamentary Elites Towards Europe Before and After the Crisis

But Still Enthusiastic: The Unchanged Europeanness of the Spanish Parliamentary Elite During the Eurozone Crisis

But Still Enthusiastic: The Unchanged Europeanness of the Spanish Parliamentary Elite During the Eurozone Crisis

Enlarging the Playing Field: Political Circulation of Brazilian Senators in the First Republic

The article analyzes the career patterns of Brazilian senators during the First Republic. It explores whether there is any relationship between the establishment of a structure of political opportunities and the recruitment patterns of this segment of the parliamentary elite. The aim is to assess the circulation among the political positions attained before reaching the position of Senator. The research consists of the systematic observation of the biographies of the 851 holders of senatorial mandates from the 21st legislature (1890/1891) to the 37th senatorial term (1934/1937). Results suggest that the political careers of senators extended in time and have become more diverse in terms of the political instances they encompassed. The new institutional framework, with more positions facing electoral competition and the strengthening of state-level policy, has intensified political circulation among government levels (municipal, state and federal) and the decision-making arenas (executive and legislative). These results show that the legislative recruitment patterns identified in the literature devoted to the second half of the 20th century were already outlined by the senatorial political elite of the First Republic.

Trends of Democratization of the Macedonian Parliamentary Elite in Seven Mandates

The aim of this paper is to be determined the trends of democratization of the Macedonian parliamentary elite in seven parliamentary terms from 1991 to 2011. The democratization of parliamentary elites is defined as process of giving opportunities to more social group to enter to the parliament. The method of detection of democratization trends is applied by using indicators that measure a few aspects of transformation of parliamentary elites as the number of political parties in the parliament, the percent of female members of parliament, the percent of MPs representatives of ethnic minorities in parliament, the percent of elected young MPs under the age of 40, and the percent of MPs with maximum repeated parliamentary mandates. The results of investigation showed trends in growth of democratization process of the Macedonian parliamentary elite in seven mandates. DOI: 10.5901/mjss.2015.v6n6s1p341

Proto Stars, Dwarfs and Giants: A Career Path Analysis of British MPs

Career progression is a classic topic in political science, but how researchers have investigated it has remained static for decades, both empirically and methodologically. This paper goes beyond the focus on the access to legislatures, common to the contemporary literature, and investigates what happens inside parliaments. In this vein, we deploy sequence analysis, used in labour market studies, which can offer a more precise measurement of political careers. We apply this method to a dataset of British Members of Parliament to show the variety of paths of their careers inside the House of Commons. We deploy the metaphor of proto-stars that can evolve into various types of stars, such as red dwarfs and supernovas, to depict political careers inside legislatures. We then address the issue about how restricted is access to the top positions in British politics. In so doing, we question standard assumptions of the literature on British parliamentary elites and provide new findings on the determinants of MPs’ career progression in the House of Commons. By taking into consideration the many pathways to the top positions, we find out that, once elites reach parliament, ascriptive features matter less than achievement.

Territorial cleavage or institutional break-up? Party integration and ideological cohesiveness among Spanish elites

The literature that explores the relationship between decentralisation and the structure of the party system has barely explored an important dimension of party integration, namely the degree of ideological cohesiveness among parliamentary elites. This paper purports to fill the literature gap by analysing heterogeneity in attitudes towards devolution among representatives from Spanish state-wide parties (the People’s Party (PP) and the Socialist Party (PSOE)). Drawing from a sample of 460 parliamentary elites, results show that within-party variation in preferences towards regional self-rule are accounted by the territorial cleavage (historical regions vs ordinary ones) as well as by an institutional cleavage, defined by the type of assembly – regional or national – in which representatives are elected. However, parties’ political and organisational trajectories moderate the impact of those cleavages: territory prevails in accounting for internal variation within the PSOE, whereas the institutional cleavage is more important to explain internal cohesiveness among PP’s party elites.

Semenova, Elena, Michael Edinger and Heinrich Best. eds. 2013. Parliamentary Elites in Central and Eastern Europe. Recruitment and Representation. London/New York: Routledge. 336 S., € 102.56

Semenova, Elena, Michael Edinger and Heinrich Best. eds. 2013. Parliamentary Elites in Central and Eastern Europe. Recruitment and Representation. London/New York: Routledge. 336 S., € 102.56

A agenda da reforma política no Brasil: autores, objetivos, êxito e fracasso (1988-2010)

O tema da reforma política tem ocupado espaço importante nos debates políticos, seja na academia, na mídia ou entre as elites parlamentares brasileiras. Apesar disso, não se têm um inventário das propostas de mudança que permita avaliar quais temas têm ganhado e quais têm perdido espaço no debate sobre a reforma das instituições políticas no país. Este artigo busca contribuir para superar essa lacuna ao analisar as Propostas de Mudança à Constituição (PECs) apresentadas no período de 1988 a 2010, seus autores e objetivos e o êxito dos diferentes atores no avanço do processo de discussão e votação das propostas apresentadas.

The Banat Political Elite during the 1926 General Elections

e present study aims to analyze the electoral phenomena in which the regional political elite from Banat were involved during the parliamentary elections in May 1926. Based on archival sources and information extracted from the contemporary early 20th century press, we will trace the coordinates of the national and regional political context, conduct a prosopographic analysis of the interwar Banat political elite, and discuss the electoral strategies employed as well as the outcomes of the elections. e conclusions will focus on the role of the 1926 elections from Banat in the process of the integration of the regional parliamentary elites in the political life of Greater Romania.

Application of social network analysis in the study of the parliamentary elite on the example of Polish members of the European Parliament

The purpose of this article is to present the possibilities of using social network analysis (SNA) in the study of the European Parliament elite. This study focuses on organisational connections between Polish members of the European Parliament (seventh term). Official organisational relationships of Polish MEPs include common membership in: political groups, authorities of parliamentary committees and delegations, Parliament’s Bureau, Conference of Presidents, Conference of Committee (and Delegation) Chairs. UCInet and Netdraw programmes were used to calculate SNA’s basic measures and to prepare graphical presentation of relational network created by the Polish MEPs. On this basis main characteristics of the network were presented and MEPs who had the best network locations were distinguished.

Renovación y continuidad de la élite política española durante la transición a la democracia: el caso de las cortes constituyentes (1977-1979)

The end of Francoism and the transition to democracy in Spain had much of continuity of certain power elites and, at the same time, generational and ideological renovation of the ruling class. An example of this mixture were the Cortes elected in 1977, where personages that only a few weeks before were exiled, imprisoned or in clandestineness sat together with ex Franco’s ministers and leaders of the dictatorship. The main task this first democratic Parliament undertook, the Constitution, can not be explained without understanding the diversity of its two Houses –Congress and Senate–, exact representation of the new regime that was about to be born. This article aims to analyse the sociological and ideological elements which coincided in the formation of the parliamentary elite of the constituent period, as a basis for better value the transformation process of the legal-political order that happened in those years. Fecha de envio / Submission Date: 19/12/2013 Fecha de aceptacion / Acceptance Date: 2/02/2014

Parliamentary sovereignty and international intervention: elite attitudes in the first Central European legislatures

This article investigates the extent to which post-communist political elites favoured the intervention of external organisations in parliamentary work. It draws on data from a survey of parliamentary elites from the beginning of the transition towards democracy in the four Visegrad countries. The results show a much more complex picture than usually assumed, with important variation both between the four legislatures and within the same parliaments. The varying levels of support for external actors' involvement in parliamentary work had different triggering mechanisms connected among other factors to Members’ of Parliament socio-demographic profile, ideological outlook, and the institutional role they envisioned for parliament.

From coronations to close encounters: Party leadership selection in British politics

Since 1965, Britain’s major political parties have radically and repeatedly changed the ways in which they choose their leaders. Consistent with trends in other English-speaking ‘Westminster’ countries, they have expanded their leadership selectorates beyond parliamentary elites to include party members and, in the case of the Labour Party, affiliated organizations, principally trade unions and their members. This article explains, briefly, why these changes occurred. It then assesses the extent to which the ‘democratization’ of party leadership selection in British politics has resulted in more (or less) competitive contests. The article concludes that the British experience of ‘democratization’ has been mixed, both in terms of the number of candidates involved and in respect of the outcomes, which have ranged from ‘coronations’ to ‘close encounters’. For the parties themselves and their leaders, the consequences of ‘democratization’ have been similarly mixed. On some occasions, it has proved to be a ‘success’, in that it has enhanced both a party’s internal cohesiveness and public image and the perceived legitimacy of newly elected leaders chosen by a broad electorate and with a substantial majority. On others, it has, arguably, resulted in ‘too much’ competition, or ‘too little’, with negative consequences for parties and their leaders.

Institutional Foundations of Legislative Turnover: A Comparative Analysis of the Swiss Cantons

Abstract: The rate of turnover within parliaments remains an understudied area of research. The present paper contributes to filling this gap by presenting the first comparable macro‐level data on legislative turnover in the 26 Swiss cantonal legislatures. In examining the strikingly different levels of turnover in sub‐national Swiss parliaments between 1993 and 2011, the focus is on politico‐institutional features. Multilevel models reveal that two hitherto neglected institutional variables are correlated with legislative turnover. In addition to the reduction of parliamentary size, we find the strength of a cantonal parliament to affect turnover rates on the Swiss sub‐national level. Moreover, we show that proportional representation significantly promotes parliamentary elite circulation. Among the non‐institutional covariates, we find that electoral volatility is also relevant in explaining legislative turnover rates.

A universidade na trajetória dos parlamentares brasileiros

O presente artigo, realizado no marco de uma pesquisa sobre a relação entre a universidade e o poder legislativo em alguns países da América Latina (particularmente no Brasil e na Argentina), analisa o modo como a passagem pela universidade contribui para a formação do capital político dos deputados e senadores brasileiros, bem como a importância dessa passagem na trajetória dos integrantes do poder legislativo. Para tanto, analisamos os discursos dos parlamentares nas sessões de 2006, procurando as referências que eles mesmos realizam sobre a universidade e sobre suas experiências no terreno acadêmico. O artigo fornece evidência para sustentar que existe uma forte sobrerrepresentação dos universitários no congresso brasileiro, que a trajetória acadêmica é valorizada no interior das elites parlamentares - o que lhe permite jogar um papel na distribuição do poder interno no congresso -, e que a passagem pela universidade, na medida em que se apresenta como um ativo valorizado e escasso, é um elemento relevante na formação do capital simbólico dos representantes legislativos.

Negative Returns to Status: The 2009 Expense Scandal and its impact on Parliamentary elites

While we do not dispute that there numerous well-documented positive returns to high status, our intent in this research is to provide a clearer understanding of what processes may explain potential negative returns to status that have increasingly been implicated in recent research. The current literature suggests two potential causal explanations such negative returns to stats: rent extraction (self-serving actions) and targeting by the media. Our objective was to disentangle the degree to which these two explanations either individually or simultaneously account for negative returns to status. We found no support for rent extraction, but consistent support for targeting.

The Turkish Parliamentary Elite and the EU: Mapping Attitudes towards the European Union

This study aims to map out the opinions and attitudes of the Turkish parliamentary elite regarding Turkey's membership of the European Union in general and the future of Europe in particular. The parliamentary elite group consists of political party representatives present in the current Turkish Grand National Assembly. The study uses the findings of the Turkish Elite Survey 2009 conducted by the Center for European Studies, Middle East Technical University. The article argues that while Turkish parliamentarians support Turkey's entry into the EU, particularly on security grounds, there are significant signs of lack of trust in EU institutions.

Ministerial and Parliamentary Elites in an Executive-Dominated System: Post-Soviet Russia 1991–2009

Abstract This article analyzes the recruitment and circulation of ministerial and parliamentary elites in Russia from the Soviet Union’s collapse in 1991 until 2009. The social backgrounds and careers of all ministers in 13 cabinets (1991–2009) and all members of the State Duma during its five terms after 1993 are studied. Especially during Vladimír Putin’s presidency (2000–2008), a shift toward super-presidentialism altered the circulation and composition of ministerial and parliamentary elites. Cabinets in Moscow consisted increasingly of ministers recruited from state bureaucracies, while the State Duma more and more contained businessmen, party politicians, and celebrities who appeared to treat MP service as simply an episode in their wider careers.

Ascent of the Young, the Smart, and the Professional: Norway’s Parliamentary Elite in Comparative Perspective

Abstract A main feature of Norway’s parliamentary elite in recent decades has been its dramatically increasing proportion of young, highly educated, and professional politicians – MPs whose previous careers have been almost wholly in party work. Whether this trend is connected to the financial support parties receive from the Norwegian state is an interesting question because state support has increased and enabled parties to hire more people to work for them. Consequently, the pool from which professional politicians can be recruited to parliament has expanded. There are, however, other important bases of parliamentary elite circulation in Norway: quotas for female candidates and MPs in some parties; geographic representation; strong controls on candidate selection by county and local party branches. I assess these patterns longitudinally in parliamentary elections during the past 60 years and comparatively as regards relevant changes in other Nordic parliaments.

Circulations and Qualities of Political Elites

Abstract Circulations and qualities of political elites are subjects of abiding interest in comparative political sociology. Pairs of articles in this issue examine (1) long-term circulations of parliamentary elites in Norway, Denmark, and other Nordic countries; (2) changing compositions of ministerial and parliamentary elites in Spain and Russia since both countries transited from authoritarian rule; (3) personality traits of German parliamentary elites, compared with those of the German adult population, and proclivities of American and British elites since World War II. This introduction compares and contrasts the three pairs of articles with previous comparative studies of political elites.