Fewer politicians and smaller assemblies: how party elites rationalise reducing the number of seats in a legislature – lessons from Canada
Fewer politicians and smaller assemblies: how party elites rationalise reducing the number of seats in a legislature – lessons from Canada
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更少的政客和更小的议会：政党精英如何合理化减少立法机构席位的数量——加拿大的教训
DOI：
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发表时间：
2019
影响因子：
1
通讯作者：
Alex Marland
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Alex Marland
学者们无法使立法议会中当选代表的人数合理化。本研究通过研究立法机构席位减少的罕见事件，为政治算术提供了一些见解。据推测，削减选区的政策是在追求成本效率和民粹主义爆发的过程中出现的。对参与加拿大各省七次席位减少事件的政党精英的采访表明，该政策的主要原因是其象征价值。政治人物减少的消息为整个政府勒紧裤腰带树立了榜样，这将有助于行政部门实施紧缩议程。在这种情况下，与较小的立法部门具有更广泛的象征意义相比，立法机构成员的最终人数对内阁和大多数立法者来说意义不大。
ABSTRACT Scholars are unable to rationalise the number of elected representatives in legislative assemblies. This study offers some insights into the political arithmetic by examining the rare event of reducing seats in a legislature. It is hypothesised that a policy of cutting electoral districts occurs during a search for cost efficiencies and a burst of populism. Interviews with party elites involved with seven seat reduction events in Canadian provinces establishes that the primary reason for the policy is its symbolic value. The message of fewer politicians sets an example for belt-tightening across government that will assist the executive branch with its austerity agenda. In these situations, the final number of members of a legislature matters little to a cabinet and most legislators compared with the broader symbolism of a smaller legislative branch.