RT Journal Article
T1 Territorial Dynamics of Spanish Members of Parliament (1977-2020)
A1 Domínguez, Pablo
A1 Portillo-Pérez, Manuel F.
K1 Parliament
K1 Peripheral regions
K1 Parachute
K1 Carpetbagger
K1 Spain
AB The Congress of Deputies should supposedly represent the entire Spanish population and the Spanish Constitution provides mechanisms to ensure geographic representation in the lower house. However, the mobility of the members of parliament (MPs) across constituencies can generate territorial representation imbalances. Based on the territorial component of descriptive representation, this article analyses the unequal geographic representation of autonomous communities in the Congress. A descriptive statistical assessment was conducted based on MPs' autonomous community of birth, the autonomous community for which they have a seat, the role played by political parties, and the way in which territorial representation occurs within the hyper elite. Special attention was paid to the representation of peripheral regions and to the drivers of overrepresentation (and underrepresentation) of some regions in the Congress. It was observed that-with few exceptions-territorial peripheries includemore native MPs, export fewerMPs, and are generally underrepresented in the Congress and within the hyper elite. In contrast, the Basque Country (an exception), Madrid, and other central territories are overrepresented in the Congress. Finally, four models of descriptive territorial representation were identified, which correspond to Spain's different territorial tensions.
PB Cambridge University
YR 2022
FD 2022-06
LK http://hdl.handle.net/10433/14531
UL http://hdl.handle.net/10433/14531
LA en
NO Territorial Dynamics of Spanish Members of Parliament (1977¿2020). Nationalities Papers, 1-18. doi:10.1017/nps.2022.6
NO Universidad Pablo de Olavide. Departamento de Sociología
DS RIO
RD May 21, 2026