New Zealand: Parliamentary Speeches under a Mixed-Member Proportional Electoral System

Osnabrügge, Moritz

Abstract

This chapter studies debate participation in New Zealand’s parliament from 1996 to 2002. New Zealand has a mixed-member proportional electoral system and a multiparty system. Its parliamentary rules and procedures give parties considerable control over the allocation of speaking time in debates and questions during question times. The empirical analysis, based on 125,088 speeches, studies the number of speeches that parliamentarians delivered and the number of words they spoke during two legislative periods. I find that ministers and party leaders participate significantly more and use more words in parliamentary debates than other parliamentarians. I also show that female politicians and ethnic minorities are less likely to participate.

Citation

Osnabrügge, M. (2021). New Zealand: Parliamentary Speeches under a Mixed-Member Proportional Electoral System. In H. Bäck, M. Debus, & J. M. Fernandes (Eds.), The Politics of Legislative Debates (613-632). Oxford University Press. https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198849063.003.0030

• Online Publication Date: Oct 8, 2021
• Publication Date: 2021
• Deposit Date: Sep 10, 2020
• Publicly Available Date: Oct 8, 2022
• Publisher: Oxford University Press
• Pages: 613-632
• Book Title: The Politics of Legislative Debates
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/oso/9780198849063.003.0030
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1650606
• Publisher URL: https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780198849063.001.0001/oso-9780198849063-chapter-30