Work

Party System Congruence and Bicameralism

Year: 2024

Type: article

Abstract: We compare the nature of party systems across bicameral legislatures using newly available data on upper chamber elections. We examine the similarity in the composition of political parties between the lower and upper chambers (partisan congruence) and introduce a novel measure that captures differences in the nationalization of parties between the two chambers (nationalization congruence). We explore variations in these measures across countries and over time and demonstrate that the power of the upper chamber (symmetry) is linked to both forms of congruence. Moreover, we apply these measures to understand how the interaction between congruence and symmetry—two key dimensions of bicameralism—influences policymaking, focusing on government spending patterns. Our findings reveal that partisan and nationalization congruence can have contrasting implications for government spending in symmetric bicameral systems but have negligible implications in asymmetric bicameral systems.

Source: Comparative Political Studies

DOI: 10.1177/00104140241302767

Authors: Wooseok Kim, Allen Hicken, Ken Kollman

Institutions: University of Glasgow, University of Michigan

Language: English

Topic: Electoral Systems and Political Participation

Subfield: Political Science and International Relations

Field: Social Sciences

Domain: Social Sciences

SDG: Peace, justice, and strong institutions

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,700