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Going on record: Revisiting the logic of roll-call vote requests in the European Parliament

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  • Stefan Thierse

Abstract

While many contributions on legislative politics in the European Parliament rely on recorded votes, the motivations behind the decision to record a vote remain somewhat arcane. This article frames roll-call vote requests as a minority right which offers party groups an opportunity to shape the voting agenda and signal commitment to a policy proposal. The analysis adds to our understanding of legislative behavior by linking the committee stage to the plenary stage. Party groups which do not support a floor proposal drafted by the lead committee are found to be more likely to request a roll-call vote in plenary. The quantitative evidence is supplemented by interview data which shed light both on the actors’ motivations and the internal decision-making processes preceding the decision to go on record.

Suggested Citation

  • Stefan Thierse, 2016. "Going on record: Revisiting the logic of roll-call vote requests in the European Parliament," European Union Politics, , vol. 17(2), pages 219-241, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:sae:eeupol:v:17:y:2016:i:2:p:219-241
    DOI: 10.1177/1465116515622692
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    References listed on IDEAS

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