Governments in Germany strategically adjust the pace of their legislative agenda when anticipating future majorities. Fearing loss of control, they accelerate bills; hoping to gain majority support, they delay them. This approach operates differently under symmetric and asymmetric bicameralism.
Key Hypothesis: Governments predict second chamber electoral shifts to guide their own legislative speed.
Our analysis uses a formal model applied to 1967 governmental bills between 1998-2013 in Germany. Findings show this strategy works effectively for symmetric bicameralism, but not necessarily for asymmetric systems.
Real-World Implications: This confirms election cycles profoundly shape legislative timing strategies across different bicameral structures.
