David M. Willumsen
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- August 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198805434
- eISBN:
- 9780191843501
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198805434.003.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
This chapter introduces the two aims of the book. First, how to measure the role played by policy preferences for achieving party unity in floor votes, that is, to what extent parliamentary parties ...
More
This chapter introduces the two aims of the book. First, how to measure the role played by policy preferences for achieving party unity in floor votes, that is, to what extent parliamentary parties are united because legislators in them agree with each other and disagree those from other parties. Second, how to explain the gap between the parliamentary floor voting unity expected based on preferences alone, and what is observed. In other words, why do MPs do not always vote their pure preferences? The chapter introduces the key question: Does this happen because of a desire for re-election and promotion, or because of the long-term benefits of belonging to the united party? The chapter then discusses the benefits, costs, and sources of party unity, and the insights that can be gained from studying attitudes to party unity.Less
This chapter introduces the two aims of the book. First, how to measure the role played by policy preferences for achieving party unity in floor votes, that is, to what extent parliamentary parties are united because legislators in them agree with each other and disagree those from other parties. Second, how to explain the gap between the parliamentary floor voting unity expected based on preferences alone, and what is observed. In other words, why do MPs do not always vote their pure preferences? The chapter introduces the key question: Does this happen because of a desire for re-election and promotion, or because of the long-term benefits of belonging to the united party? The chapter then discusses the benefits, costs, and sources of party unity, and the insights that can be gained from studying attitudes to party unity.
David M. Willumsen
- Published in print:
- 2017
- Published Online:
- August 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780198805434
- eISBN:
- 9780191843501
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/oso/9780198805434.001.0001
- Subject:
- Political Science, Comparative Politics
The central argument of this book is that voting unity in European legislatures is not primarily the result of the ‘disciplining’ power of the leadership of parliamentary parties, but rather the ...
More
The central argument of this book is that voting unity in European legislatures is not primarily the result of the ‘disciplining’ power of the leadership of parliamentary parties, but rather the result of a combination of ideological homogeneity through self-selection into political parties and the calculations of individual legislators about their own long-term benefits. Despite the central role of policy preferences in the subsequent behaviour of legislators, preferences at the level of the individual legislator have been almost entirely neglected in the study of parliaments and legislative behaviour. The book measures these using an until now under-utilized resource: parliamentary surveys. Building on these, the book develops measures of policy incentives of legislators to dissent from their parliamentary parties, and show that preference similarity amongst legislators explains a very substantial proportion of party unity, yet alone cannot explain all of it. Analysing the attitudes of legislators to the demands of party unity, and what drives these attitudes, the book argues that what explains the observed unity (beyond what preference similarity would explain) is the conscious acceptance by MPs that the long-term benefits of belonging to a united party (such as increased influence on legislation, lower transaction costs, and better chances of gaining office) outweigh the short-terms benefits of always voting for their ideal policy outcome. The book buttresses this argument through the analysis of both open-ended survey questions as well as survey questions on the costs and benefits of belonging to a political party in a legislature.Less
The central argument of this book is that voting unity in European legislatures is not primarily the result of the ‘disciplining’ power of the leadership of parliamentary parties, but rather the result of a combination of ideological homogeneity through self-selection into political parties and the calculations of individual legislators about their own long-term benefits. Despite the central role of policy preferences in the subsequent behaviour of legislators, preferences at the level of the individual legislator have been almost entirely neglected in the study of parliaments and legislative behaviour. The book measures these using an until now under-utilized resource: parliamentary surveys. Building on these, the book develops measures of policy incentives of legislators to dissent from their parliamentary parties, and show that preference similarity amongst legislators explains a very substantial proportion of party unity, yet alone cannot explain all of it. Analysing the attitudes of legislators to the demands of party unity, and what drives these attitudes, the book argues that what explains the observed unity (beyond what preference similarity would explain) is the conscious acceptance by MPs that the long-term benefits of belonging to a united party (such as increased influence on legislation, lower transaction costs, and better chances of gaining office) outweigh the short-terms benefits of always voting for their ideal policy outcome. The book buttresses this argument through the analysis of both open-ended survey questions as well as survey questions on the costs and benefits of belonging to a political party in a legislature.
