Geographical Representation Under a Single Nationwide District: The Case of the Netherlands

Previous studies have demonstrated the common occurrence of constituency focus in parliamentary questions, which is most often attributed to electoral incentives. If an electoral system makes use of a single nationwide district, however, these district‐oriented electoral incentives do not apply. MPs may still substantively represent a geographical region, because they are motivated to stand up for a specific region for other reasons. This article explores the extent to which Dutch MPs pay attention in parliamentary questions and debates to specific regions. We find that those with stronger tie... Mehr ...

Verfasser: Nagtzaam, Marijn
Louwerse, Tom
Dokumenttyp: Artikel
Erscheinungsdatum: 2022
Reihe/Periodikum: Legislative Studies Quarterly ; volume 48, issue 3, page 591-621 ; ISSN 0362-9805 1939-9162
Verlag/Hrsg.: Wiley
Schlagwörter: Sociology and Political Science
Sprache: Englisch
Permalink: https://search.fid-benelux.de/Record/base-26851554
Datenquelle: BASE; Originalkatalog
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Link(s) : http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/lsq.12408

Previous studies have demonstrated the common occurrence of constituency focus in parliamentary questions, which is most often attributed to electoral incentives. If an electoral system makes use of a single nationwide district, however, these district‐oriented electoral incentives do not apply. MPs may still substantively represent a geographical region, because they are motivated to stand up for a specific region for other reasons. This article explores the extent to which Dutch MPs pay attention in parliamentary questions and debates to specific regions. We find that those with stronger ties to a region, and especially MPs who reside in a region, are more likely to mention it in parliamentary questions and speeches. In addition, we find that this effect is stronger for provinces where regional attachment among residents is relatively stronger.