DISSERTATIONES RERUM POLITICARUM UNIVERSITATIS TARTUENSIS 4 DISSERTATIONES RERUM POLITICARUM UNIVERSITATIS TARTUENSIS 4 MIHKEL SOLVAK Private member’s bills in parliament – a comparative study of Finland and Estonia Institute of Government and Politics, Faculty of Social Sciences and Education, University of Tartu, Estonia Dissertation was accepted for the commencement of the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (in Political Science) on October 3, 2011 by the Council of the Faculty of Social Sciences and Education, University of Tartu Supervisor: Prof. Vello Pettai, University of Tartu, Estonia Opponent: Prof. Matti Wiberg, University of Turku, Finland Commencement: November 18, 2011 Publication of this thesis is granted by the Institute of Government and Politics, University of Tartu and by the Doctoral School of Behavioral, Social and Health Sciences created under the auspices of European Union Social Fund. ISSN 1736–4205 ISBN 978–9949–19–880–1 (trükis) ISBN 978–9949–19–881–8 (PDF) Autoriõigus Mihkel Solvak, 2011 Tartu Ülikooli Kirjastus www.tyk.ee Tellimus nr 674 CONTENTS ABBREVATIONS ........................................................................................ 10 LIST OF PUBLICATIONS ........................................................................... 11 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .......................................................................... 12 1. INTRODUCTION .................................................................................... 13 1.1. Private member’s bills ....................................................................... 16 1.2. Topics of PMBs ................................................................................. 17 1.3. Intention of the bills: pseudo- or real legislation ............................... 18 1.4. PMBs and representation .................................................................. 21 1.5. Plan of the Thesis .............................................................................. 26 2. THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK: PRIVATE MEMBER’S BILLS AND THE PERSONAL VOTE .................................................................... 27 2.1. Personal vote ..................................................................................... 27 2.1.1. Defining the personal vote ...................................................... 27 2.1.2. Structural effects ..................................................................... 29 2.1.3. Situational effects ................................................................... 30 2.1.4. Established effects .................................................................. 30 2.1.5. Personal vote and roles ........................................................... 32 2.1.6. Party role ................................................................................ 35 2.1.7. Seasonality .............................................................................. 36 2.2. Measuring of the personal vote ......................................................... 37 2.2.1. Coding .................................................................................... 37 2.2.2. Values and limits .................................................................... 41 2.2.3. Empirical values and theoretical problems with the personal vote ......................................................................................... 43 2.2.4. Prior studies on electoral system effects on members of parliament ............................................................................... 46 2.3. Additional explanatory factors .......................................................... 48 2.3.1. Sponsor ................................................................................... 48 2.3.2. Pseudolegislation .................................................................... 49 2.3.3. Constituency role and MP attributes ...................................... 50 2.4. Central theoretical expectations ........................................................ 51 2.4.1. Sponsoring .............................................................................. 51 2.4.2. Characteristics of PMBs ......................................................... 53 2.4.3. Treatment in the plenary ......................................................... 53 3. WHO SPONSORS PRIVATE MEMBER’S BILLS ................................ 54 3.1. Possibilities to initiate legislation and success rate ........................... 54 3.2. General sponsorship patterns ............................................................ 58 3.2.1. Party role ................................................................................ 58 3.2.2. District patterns ...................................................................... 68 3.2.3. Position in parliament ............................................................. 71 3.2.4. General personal vote effects ................................................. 72 5 3.3. Explaining sponsoring ....................................................................... 75 3.3.1. Methodological note ............................................................... 75 3.3.2. Explaining sponsoring and non-sponsoring ............................ 78 3.3.3. Explaining sponsoring frequency ........................................... 86 3.4. Discussion ......................................................................................... 90 4. CHARACTERISTICS OF PRIVATE MEMBER’S BILLS ..................... 94 4.1. Topics of PMBs and seasonality ....................................................... 95 4.2. Technical nature of PMBs ................................................................. 103 4.3. Treatment in the plenary ................................................................... 106 4.3.1. Debate in Estonia .................................................................... 108 4.3.2. Debate in Finland .................................................................... 113 4.3.3. Amending PMBs in Estonia ................................................... 116 4.4. Discussion ......................................................................................... 121 5. WHO SPONSORS WHAT KIND OF BILLS ......................................... 124 5.1. Note on data stacking and implications ............................................. 125 5.2. PMB topics and sponsor attributes .................................................... 128 5.2.1. Factors influencing PMB topics ............................................. 128 5.2.2. PMB topics and sponsors in Estonia ...................................... 130 5.2.3. PMB topics and sponsors in Finland ...................................... 138 5.3. PMB characteristics and sponsor attributes ....................................... 142 5.3.1. Factors influencing the technical characteristics of bills ........ 142 5.4. Debate in the plenary and sponsor attributes ..................................... 148 5.4.1. Factors influencing debate intensity ....................................... 148 5.4.2. Debate intensity in Estonia ..................................................... 149 5.4.3. Debate intensity in Finland ..................................................... 156 5.5. Amending PMBs and sponsor attributes in Estonia .......................... 162 5.5.1. Factors influencing PMB amending ....................................... 163 5.6. PMB success and sponsor attributes ................................................. 167 5.6.1 Factors influencing PMB success ............................................ 167 5.7. Discussion ......................................................................................... 170 6. CONCLUSION ......................................................................................... 174 7. BIBLIOGRAPHY ..................................................................................... 183 7.1. Articles, books, news sources ........................................................... 183 7.2. Documents, reports, legal acts ........................................................... 191 8. APPENDICES ........................................................................................... 192 APPENDIX A .......................................................................................... 192 APPENDIX B .......................................................................................... 202 APPENDIX C .......................................................................................... 205 9. SUMMARY IN ESTONIAN .................................................................... 207 CURRICULUM VITAE ............................................................................... 212 ELULOOKIRJELDUS .................................................................................. 215 6 LIST OF TABLES Table 1. Personal vote in Estonia 1999–2007 and Finland 2003–2007 ..... 43 Table 2. Legislative initiatives, passed laws and success rates in the Finnish Eduskunta ........................................................................ 55 Table 3. Legislative initiatives, passed laws and success rates in the Estonian Riigikogu ....................................................................... 56 Table 4. PMB sponsoring activity by party membership in Estonia 1999–2007 .................................................................................... 59 Table 5. PMB sponsoring activity change by opposition or coalition status in Estonia, 1999–2007 ........................................................ 60