Exploring, Maintaining, and Disengaging—The Three Phases of a Legislator's Life. Issue 3 (16th October 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Bailer, Stefanie; Ohmura, Tamaki
• Is Part Of: Legislative studies quarterly. Volume 43:Issue 3(2018)
• Page Start: 493
• Page End: 520
• Publication Date: 2017-10-16
• Subjects: career -- legislative activity -- last period problem -- vote attendance -- parliamentary questions -- rapporteurships -- accountability; Legislative bodies -- Periodicals; Parlement; Procédure législative; Système parlementaire; Étude comparée (Descripteur de forme); Périodique électronique (Descripteur de forme); Ressource Internet (Descripteur de forme); 328
• DOI: 10.1111/lsq.12192
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0362-9805

Abstract

Abstract : Building on the understanding that a career is a dynamic concept, this article applies the idea that parliamentarians' legislative activities vary according to their career stage and age. This is partly a function of experience and partly a function of future career prospects. Using a new data set of the German Bundestag (2002–13) that pinpoints the age and career stage of MPs at the time of individual activities, namely, attending votes, posing parliamentary questions, and holding rapporteurships, we identify practical and normative challenges to MPs' legislative work: It takes time to learn the trade and as the desire for re‐election dissipates, a last‐period problem arises. MPs significantly reduce their activity levels toward the end of their legislative careers, indicating a clear loss of accountability toward their parties and their constituents.