Learning on the job?: EU enlargement and the assignment of (shadow) rapporteurships in the European Parliament

Hurka, Steffen, Kaeding, Michael and Obholzer, Lukas (2015) Learning on the job?: EU enlargement and the assignment of (shadow) rapporteurships in the European Parliament. Journal of Common Market Studies, 53 (6). pp. 1230-1247. ISSN 0021-9886

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Abstract

This article investigates the determinants of assignments to European Parliament negotiating teams comprising both rapporteurs and shadow rapporteurs. We re-examine the argument that under-representation of MEPs (Members of the European Parliament) from new Member States on these key posts after enlargement might have been due to a 'learning phase'. We find that MEPs from newer Member States remain considerably less likely to act as rapporteurs during the second term after enlargement (2009–14). Most importantly, this trend also holds for shadow rapporteurships under the co-decision procedure, which is when they matter most. This structural under-representation entails important implications for European integration, most importantly that MEPs from newer Member States are less able to influence legislation. We suggest that the patterns we find could be the result of reduced willingness, a more limited skill set, or a structural disadvantage of MEPs from the accession states in the report allocation process.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/journal/10.1111/(IS...
Additional Information:	© 2015 The Authors. JCMS: Journal of Common Market Studies © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd
Divisions:	Government
Subjects:	J Political Science > JN Political institutions (Europe)
Date Deposited:	01 Jul 2015 13:08
Last Modified:	10 Oct 2024 04:00
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/62599

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