Transparency in parliamentary voting

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Benesch, Christine; Butler, Monika; Hofer, Katharina E.
• 署名单位: University of St Gallen; University of St Gallen
• 刊物名称: JOURNAL OF PUBLIC ECONOMICS
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0047-2727
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jpubeco.2018.04.005
• 发表日期: 2018
• 页码: 60-76
• 关键词: Voting; Parliament; TRANSPARENCY; PARTIES; Party discipline

摘要

How does transparency affect voting behavior? To answer this question we exploit a switch from a show of hands to electronic voting in the Upper House of the Swiss Parliament. The change, which took place halfway through the 2011-2015 legislative period, also brought about the online publication of individual voting records. Using the Lower House as a control group, we compare individual voting decisions in a set of identical votes in both chambers. This unique framework makes it possible to estimate the causal effect of increased transparency on legislators' choices. Since the reform, members of the Upper House are less likely to deviate from the majority decision of their party. Legislators representing the same canton are also less likely to cast an aligned vote, suggesting that voters lose influence over their representatives in parliament. (C) 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.