British MPs don't always follow party lines, even when ideology points toward strong discipline.
➡️ Data & Methods
* Original dataset of MP votes and speeches (1992-2015).
* New estimations of MPs' ideological positions within their party.
🔍 Key Findings
* Ideological extremity interacts with government control to trigger rebellion.
* Extremists are loyal in opposition but rebel more when their party governs.
* Rebel MPs emphasize their votes through speeches ('grandstanding').
🧬 Why It Matters
* Existing models of party discipline don't account for this pattern.
Rebellion strategy depends on both the MP's position within* the party and whether that party is governing or in opposition.
| Ideology, Grandstanding, and Strategic Party Disloyalty in British Parliament was authored by Jonathan Slapin, Justin Kirkland, Joseph Lazzaro, Patrick Leslie and Tom O'Grady. It was published by Cambridge in APSR in 2018. |
