The Politics of Parliamentary Debate: Parties, Rebels and Representation
Cambridge University Press
Edition: Illustrated, 12/4/2014
EAN 9781107072763, ISBN10: 110707276X
Hardcover, 224 pages, 22.9 x 15.2 x 1.4 cm
Language: English
Parliamentary debate is a fundamental aspect of democratic law-making. While law makers everywhere seek to express their views in parliament, there are large discrepancies in who has access to the floor across political systems. This book explains how parties and their members of parliament (MPs) structure parliamentary debate. Parties may actively seek to prevent some members from taking the floor while promoting opportunities for others. In doing so, they attempt to control the message that their partisans convey in parliament. The authors provide a theoretical model to explain the design of procedural rules in parliament, how the party leadership interacts with rebel backbenchers, and how MPs represent voters. The book explores political institutions, intra-party politics, electoral politics and legislative behavior. It develops and tests a new theory of parliamentary debate, using data from the UK, Germany, New Zealand and the European Parliament.
Introduction
Part I. Modeling Parliamentary Debate
1. A theory of parliamentary debate
2. Empirical implications
3. Research design
Part II. Empirical Studies of Parliamentary Debate
4. Debates and institutions
5. Debate participation
Germany and the UK
6. Dissent in parliament and the media
Germany and the UK
7. Candidate selection and debate participation
a European perspective
8. New Zealand
changing institutions
Conclusion.