New Data Measures Legislative Capacity Across German Parliaments

This paper introduces new data quantifying legislative capacity in Germany's national and subnational parliaments. The dataset includes metrics like legislator salary, informational expenditures, committee sessions, and plenary meetings.

A summary measure based on the Squire Index methodology is created alongside one from factor analysis to capture this professional aspect of parliamentarians' work more comprehensively.

Internal Validity Assessment:

The authors test these measures by analyzing recent reforms in Baden-Württemberg. External Validity Check:

Electoral turnover serves as a comparison point. These data offer insights into the causes and consequences of legislative capacity, providing researchers with tools to study this phenomenon further.

Usage Recommendations:

The authors suggest that colleagues utilize these findings for broader research questions about parliamentary professionalism in Germany and encourage similar investigations elsewhere.