Expertise, turnover and refreshment within the committees of the European Parliament: as much like Sisyphus pushing the boulder up the mountain as we may think?. Issue 7 (3rd October 2022)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Alexander, David A.
• Is Part Of: Journal of European integration. Volume 44:Issue 7(2022)
• Page Start: 899
• Page End: 917
• Publication Date: 2022-10-03
• Subjects: European Parliament -- committee systems -- expertise -- committee refreshment -- legislator turnover; European federation -- Periodicals; Political science -- Periodicals; Europe -- Economic integration -- Periodicals; 341.24205
• DOI: 10.1080/07036337.2022.2084541
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0703-6337

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Expertise is a resource, which parliamentary committees organise to support the legislative work of their plenaries. Informational theories posit that expertise is gained from time spent on committee, so how does the committee system of the European Parliament (EP) react to high levels of membership turnover? Using qualitative interview evidence and CV data, this paper explores how expertise is utilised within the EP's committee system and provides some alternative accounts of its usage. This paper demonstrates that membership turnover, an inevitability of democratic legislatures and perceived as detrimental to committees from the loss of experienced policymakers, can have potentially positive benefits. I find that turnover can not only refresh the observed committees' institutional relationships but also clear away potential deadwood that is manifested as members who are past their policymaking primes. I argue that an injection of new blood is a resource that EP committees utilise to help maintain relevance.