Patterns of Legislative Effectiveness
Patterns of Legislative Effectiveness (POLE) is a comparative study of legislators’ (Members of the Parliament, MPs’) activity and performance in parliamentary systems. This research project, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), sets as its main goal to unravel the complexities surrounding the behavior of MPs in parliamentary systems, shedding light on how they balance their roles as representatives of their constituencies and members of political parties.
More specifically, the study aims to understand the nuances of MPs’ activities and their effectiveness in office. By understanding factors contributing to variations in MPs’ engagement as well as the interplay between constituency representation and party loyalty, the project aspires to assess the performance of MPs within the broader context of parliamentary governance.
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Patterns of Legislative Effectiveness (POLE) is a comparative study of legislators’ (Members of the Parliament, MPs’) activity and performance in parliamentary systems. This research project, funded by the Portuguese Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT), sets as its main goal to unravel the complexities surrounding the behavior of MPs in parliamentary systems, shedding light on how they balance their roles as representatives of their constituencies and members of political parties.
More specifically, the study aims to understand the nuances of MPs’ activities and their effectiveness in office. By understanding factors contributing to variations in MPs’ engagement as well as the interplay between constituency representation and party loyalty, the project aspires to assess the performance of MPs within the broader context of parliamentary governance.
In political landscapes dominated by strong party structures, MPs face the dual challenge of serving both their constituents and their political affiliations. By uncovering how MPs navigate these competing interests, particularly through activities such as bill co-sponsorship, POLE gives a major contribute to Legislative Studies and Portuguese and Irish Politics comprehension. To achieve these objectives, based on the Legislative Effectiveness Score developed by Volden and Wiseman (2014), we have developed the Legislative Effectiveness Score for Proportional Systems (LESPS), a novel measurement model tailored to parliamentary contexts. By collecting quantitative data on MPs’ co-sponsorship activities and media attention to legislative initiatives, we aim to identify key determinants of legislative effectiveness of Portugal and Ireland with their distinct electoral systems and party dynamics.
The contributions of the POLE are multifaceted. On a substantive and theoretical level, it delves into parliamentary democracies and, through the analysis of new cases, contributing to the theoretical discussions of legislative studies as well as offers alternative explanations for the patterns of lawmakers’ behavior. The project also adds new data to the existing research on Portugal and Ireland and advances the Legislative Effectiveness Score by tailoring it to proportional electoral systems.
