Rational and ambitious legislators? Role theory, between open questions and new applicability

• Gambacciani, Paolo ^[1]
  1. [1] University of Bologna

     University of Bologna

     Bolonia, Italia

     
• Localización: Parliamentary affairs: A journal of representative politics, ISSN 0031-2290, Vol. 78, Nº 1, 2025, págs. 182-202
• Idioma: inglés
• DOI: 10.1093/pa/gsae010
• Enlaces
  • Texto completo (pdf)
• Resumen

  • Role theory utilizes sociological and political science tools to study parliamentary functioning and parliamentarians’ behavior. While scholars in the USA (1960–70) and Europe (1990–2010) have extensively applied it, this review focuses on its enduring theoretical validity. It introduces a role choice typology, categorizing parliamentarians in empirical studies. The analysis highlights role theory strengths and weaknesses, highlighting that the goal of reelection represents only one potential explanation of parliamentarian behavior. The article suggests reconsidering the sociological concept of role to derive testable hypotheses. In addition, the article extends role theory applications to studying legislative careers and less institutionalized legislatures.

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