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date: 23 January 2021

Abstract and Keywords

This chapterexamines political behavior and legislative politics in the European Parliament. It begins with a review of research findings on the political behavior of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs), focusing on the last decade or so. It considers the process of recruitment and election of the members of parliament and how this process affects them and their political preferences. It then looks at the formation of political parties and committees in the European Parliament—the so-called “equilibrium institutions”—and how they shape MEP behavior and policy outcomes in the European Parliament—the so-called “institutional equilibria.”

Keywords: political behavior, legislative politics, European Parliament, recruitment, election, members of parliament, political parties, committees, equilibrium institutions, institutional equilibria

Simon Hix

Simon Hix is Professor of European and Comparative Politics and Head of the Department of Government at the London School of Economics and Political Science.

Bjørn Høyland

Bjørn Høyland is Professor of Political Science at the University of Oslo.

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