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The Impact of Mixed-member Districts on Legislators' Behavior: The Case of Bolivia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2018

Margarita Corral ,
Francisco Sánchez  and
Cristina Rivas Pérez
Margarita Corral
Affiliation:
Brandeis University. [email protected]
Francisco Sánchez
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca. [email protected]
Cristina Rivas Pérez
Affiliation:
Universidad de Salamanca. [email protected]
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Abstract

Many studies suggest that mixed-member electoral systems produce different attitudes and behaviors among representatives. This article assesses how this type of electoral system shapes Bolivian legislators' perceptions of their roles as representatives, their district activities, and their relationships with their political parties. It examines these dimensions using elite survey data and interviews with legislators and their personal assistants. The results show that the electoral system does not produce a uniform impact. It shapes how legislators perceive their role as representatives and the nature of the relationship they build with their political parties, but it does not produce differences in the kinds of activities that both types of legislators carry out in their districts.

Type
Research
Information
Latin American Politics and Society , Volume 58 , Issue 1 , Spring 2016 , pp. 29 - 48
Copyright
Copyright © University of Miami 2016

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