Re-election isn't everything: legislators’ goal-seeking and committee activity in Japan

• Naofumi Fujimura ^[1]
  1. [1] Kobe University

     Kobe University

     Chuo-ku, Japón

     
• Localización: The Journal of legislative studies, ISSN 1357-2334, Vol. 22, Nº. 2, 2016, págs. 153-174
• Idioma: inglés
• Texto completo no disponible (Saber más ...)
• Resumen

  • A number of political scientists have explained legislators’ behaviour as a function of their re-election, influence, and policy goals, but these goals are sometimes incompatible. This study seeks to explain under what conditions legislators emphasise the goals of building influence or shaping policy over re-election. The study focuses on Japanese legislators’ Diet committee attendance as a proxy for their attention to an influence or policy goal. It shows that legislators elected from an open-list proportional representation seat are most likely to emphasise building influence or shaping policy, while legislators elected from a district using a single non-transferable vote system are least likely to do so. Legislators are more likely to do so in a non-election year than in an election year. In addition, electorally stronger legislators are more likely to focus on influence or policy goals in an election year, while electorally weaker legislators are more likely to do so in a non-election year.