Around 40 per cent of the world's parliaments are bicameral. Second chambers can be found on every continent, in parliamentary as well as presidential systems, in federal as well as unitary countries, and in democratic as well as autocratic regimes: examples include the British House of Lords, the French Senate, the German Bundesrat, and the senates of Latin American countries and the United States. Nevertheless, the question of what they add to the systems in which they exist is often raised, sometimes to the point of questioning their very existence. Despite the importance of these debates, second chambers have rarely been the focus of political science research. The IParl aims to contribute to this discussion by undertaking a research project on representation in European second chambers.
The project aims to understand how second chambers engage in representation with regard to four aspects: (1) who their members are and how they understand their representative roles, (2) how representation is expressed in speeches, (3) how it is implemented in policy-making, and (4) how the represented perceive their relationship with said second chambers. The first phase – focusing on Germany, France, Ireland and Poland – is nearing completion.
For any further questions or advice, please contact Calixte Bloquet and/or Franziska Carstensen.
The following papers have been published in the frame of this project dedicated to second chambers:
Calixte Bloquet / Franziska Carstensen: Members of the German Bundesrat: (How/Who/From Where) Do they represent?, in: European Centre for Research on Federalism (ed.): Jahrbuch des Föderalismus 2024, Baden-Baden 2024. (Link)
Schüttemeyer, Suzanne S. / Sturm, Roland: Was leisten Zweite Kammern für die repräsentative Demokratie?, in: European Centre for Research on Federalism (ed.): Jahrbuch des Föderalismus 2022, Baden-Baden 2022. (Link)
Carstensen, Franziska: 2022: Zweite Kammern in Europa: Wen oder was sollen sie repräsentieren?, IParl-Blickpunkt 6, Berlin 2021 (Link)
Bicameral parliamentary structures exist in around half of all European states. Although decisions made by second chambers can have a significant impact on the political process, they are not often at the centre of public attention. In particular, little is known about how representation in second chambers is pre-structured by legal requirements. This Focus on Europe addresses this gap and asks how representation in second chambers is standardised under constitutional law, which modes of appointment exist, but also which minimum age requirements, mandate durations, personnel sizes and partial renewal options are provided for through (in)direct elections. Another point of interest is whether European second chambers are equipped with specialised representation for certain population groups in order to mitigate the representation deficits of the first chambers. To summarise, an initial picture of European second chambers can be drawn that does not meet all the expectations of the research.
The results of the first phase were presented at the following conferences and events, among others:
2024: 3rd Global Conference on Parliamentary Studies in Prague, 10 June 2024.
2024: Workshop of the DVPW Themengruppe Föderalismus, 1-2 March 2024 in Berlin.
2023: 8th Conference of the ECPR Standing Group on Parliaments in Vienna, 6-8 July 2023.
2023: Erster Österreichscher Tag der Parlamentsforschung in Vienna on 26 June 2023.
Sign up to receive updates, promotions, and sneak peaks of upcoming products. Plus 20% off your next order.
