DRAFT:
v.2.0
examining the representation of Italian MEPs in significant positions within the EP both before
and after the shift at the national level including specifically the allocation of rapporteurships and
committee chairmanships which are the key ‘prizes’ that can be broadly distributed among
MEPs. A similar situation may have occurred within the party groups themselves and this can
also be measured by examining the leadership role of Italian members within the largest groups
(EPP and PES) across time (quadrant D).
Each of these analyses measures the extent to which changes to the Italian party system at
the national level directly or indirectly impacted the party system and organization of the
European Parliament. Also included is an analysis of how these changes affected the role of
Italian MEPs within the EP and, thus, their potential to effectively influence outcomes (policy or
other). The fundamental point of the analyses is to determine the extent to which significant
changes at the national level in the domestic political realm have an effect on supranational
politics. For the purposes of space conservation only quadrants B and C will be fully analyzed
here with quadrants A and D remaining for future research.
Changes in MEP Behaviour and Group Unity
To measure the extent to which the changes at the national level among Italy’s parties
influenced the internal unity of the EP party groups I analyzed voting patterns (during roll call
votes) across the period.
In particular I traced the similarity of voting patterns between Italian
MEPs and those of their respective party groups as well as the general agreement between all
21
Overall B and C seem to be the most significant aspects of possible change and include an example of both arenas
and both directions suggested by the general theoretical framework. Future revisions will incorporate quadrants A
and D.
22
The basic roll call vote data used for this paper was generously made available by Simon Hix, Abdul Noury and
Gerard Roland. A full analysis of the entire dataset of over 10,000 votes can be found in Hix, Noury, Gerard, 2003.
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Convention