Abstract
This chapter analyzes the degree of professionalization, the career paths and the future career aspirations of representatives in the Spanish parliament and in the autonomous parliaments. First, we find that acting as a full-time representative is the rule rather than the exception among legislators from all territorial levels. Second, municipal politics appears as the usual starting point of political careers. Third, in most autonomous communities, these career paths show a territorial hierarchy and far more representatives move from the autonomous parliament to the Spanish parliament than the other way around. However, in territories with distinct party systems, the career paths of Spanish parliament and autonomous parliament representatives do not show a territorial hierarchy but territorial specialization.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
Notes
- 1.
538 out of 564 interviewed parliamentarians stated that they consider being a politician a vocation. Only 26 representatives describe their activity as a profession.
- 2.
A factor related to this has already been mentioned: the specialization required to develop parliamentary functions is usually not useful in professional life. The parliamentarian who returns to his or her original profession can rarely perform professional activities in which parliamentary experience constitutes a valuable skill (Botella 1997).
- 3.
There are no differences between members of the autonomous and members of the Spanish parliament. The distribution of professions is very similar in both types of legislative bodies.
- 4.
See Chapter 5 “Recruitment and Selection”.
- 5.
See Chapter 15 “Parliaments and the European Union”.
- 6.
Fast-track autonomous communities obtained full autonomy since their establishment, while slow-track communities had to wait a minimum of five years after their establishment to obtain full autonomy. Among the former, we find the so-called historic communities (that is, the Basque Country, Catalonia and Galicia, which enjoyed autonomy during the Second Spanish Republic), and Andalusia, that accessed full autonomy after a referendum on the issue.
References
Barrie, D., & Gibbins, R. (1989). Parliamentary Careers in the Canadian Federal State. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 22(1), 137–145.
Botella, J. (1997). Parlamento y carreras políticas. In M. Ramírez (Ed.), El Parlamento a debate. Madrid: Trotta.
Botella, J., Rodríguez, J., Barberà, O., & Barrio, A. (2011). The Political Careers of Regional Prime Ministers in Spain, France and the United Kingdom (1980–2010). Revista Española de Investigaciones Sociológicas, 133, 3–20.
Coller, X. (2002). Continuidad y conflicto parlamentario en las comunidades autónomas españolas. In J. Subirats & R. Gallego (Eds.), Veinte años de autonomías en España. Leyes, políticas públicas, instituciones y opinión pública. Madrid: Centro de Investigaciones Sociológicas.
Coller, X., Ferreiro do Vale, H., & Meissner, C. (2008). Les élites politiques regionals espagnoles (1980–2005). In M. Darviche & W. Genieys (Eds.), Penser les régimes politiques avec Juan J. Linz. Paris: L’Harmattan.
Francis, W. L., & Kenny, L. W. (2000). Up the Political Ladder. Career Paths in US Politics. Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Jerez, M. (1997). La élite parlamentaria. In M. Ramírez (Ed.), El Parlamento a debate. Madrid: Trotta.
Leach, R. (1995). Turncoats. Aldershot: Dartmouth.
Moncrief, G. F. (1994). Professionalization and Careerism in Canadian Provincial Assemblies: Comparison to U.S. State Legislatures. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 19(1), 33–48.
Moncrief, G. F. (1998). Terminating the Provincial Career: Retirement and Electoral Defeat in Canadian Provincial Legislatures, 1960–1997. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 31(2), 359–372.
Moncrief, G. F., & Thompson, J. A. (Eds.). (1992). Changing Patterns in State Legislative Careers. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Polsby, N. W. (1968). The Institutionalization of the U.S. House of Representatives. American Political Science Review, 62(1), 144–168.
Pound, W. (1992). State Legislative Careers: Twenty-Five Years of Reform. In G. Moncrief & J. A. Thompson (Eds.), Changing Patterns in State Legislative Careers. Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press.
Ruchelman, L. (1970). Political Careers. Recruitment Through the Legislature. Rutherford: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press.
Shin, K. S., & Jackson, J. S. (1979). Membership Turnover in U.S. State Legislatures: 1931–1976. Legislative Studies Quarterly, 4(1), 95–114.
Stolz, K. (2001). The Political Class and Regional Institution-Building: A Conceptual Framework. Regional and Federal Studies, 11(1), 80–100.
Stolz, K. (2003). Moving Up, Moving Down: Political Careers Across Territorial Levels. European Journal of Political Research, 42(2), 223–248.
Uriarte, E. (1997). El análisis de las élites políticas en las democracias. Revista de Estudios Políticos, 97, 249–276.
Uriarte, E. (2000). La política como vocación y como profesión: análisis de las motivaciones y de la carrera política de los diputados españoles. Revista Española de Ciencia Política, 3, 97–124.
Weber, M. (2004). The Vocation Lectures: ‘Science as a Vocation’; ‘Politics as a Vocation’. New York: Palgrave Macmillan.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2018 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Liñeira, R., Muñoz, J. (2018). Professionalization and Parliamentary Careers. In: Coller, X., Jaime-Castillo, A., Mota, F. (eds) Political Power in Spain. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63826-3_6
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63826-3_6
Published:
Publisher Name: Palgrave Macmillan, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-319-63825-6
Online ISBN: 978-3-319-63826-3
eBook Packages: Political Science and International StudiesPolitical Science and International Studies (R0)