Determinants of Legislative Turnover in Western Europe 1945-2015

This paper explains legislative turnover in eight west European legislatures over 152 general elections in the period between 1945 and 2015. Turnover is measured as the rate of individual membership change in unicameral or lower chambers. It is the outcome of a representative elite production process that is shaped by four factors: electorates; the structures that determine political career opportunities; political parties; and electoral systems. Ten specific hypotheses are tested within this theoretical framework. Electorates and the structures that determine political career opportunities appear to be more significant than electoral systems and political parties. Electoral volatility, duration of legislative term, MP remuneration, strength of bicameralism, regional authority, gender quotas and district magnitude appear to have substantive and statistically significant effects.

Publication year:2018

BOF-keylabel:yes

IOF-keylabel:yes

BOF-publication weight:6

CSS-citation score:2

Authors from:Higher Education

Accessibility:Closed