The practice and implications of legislative proxy voting in Ukraine. Issue 1 (2nd January 2019)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Herron, Erik S.; Fitzpatrick, Brian; Palamarenko, Maksym
• Is Part Of: Post-Soviet affairs. Volume 35:Issue 1(2019)
• Page Start: 41
• Page End: 62
• Publication Date: 2019-01-02
• Subjects: Roll-call voting -- proxy voting -- Ukraine; Former Soviet republics -- Economic conditions -- Periodicals; 947.084
• DOI: 10.1080/1060586X.2018.1513219
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1060-586X

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Governing parties often face the challenge of coordinating the behavior of legislators to pass bills and achieve their policy goals. Solutions to this collective action problem vary, but generally involve a combination of inducements and punishments to encourage legislators to toe the party line. "Ghost voting, " a form of proxy voting in which legislators record roll-call votes in place of their absent co-partisans has been noted over time in many representative institutions. This article addresses the process of proxy voting in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada, empirically demonstrating that proxy voting has been widespread and essential to the success of crucial legislation. At the same time, proxy voting creates impediments to measures of legislative unity and undermines accountability.