"Still a Stepping Stone? A Revised Analysis of MEPs’ Career Pathways"

Abstract:

It is now commonly assumed among scholars that the connection between citizens and EU institutions is, to put it bluntly, rather weak. Recent literature, however, seems to hint at a re-evaluation of the European Parliament (‘EP’) for long-term commitments, which in turn might have deep implications for the formation of a proper class of supranational representatives. Through the analysis of an original dataset, our paper aims at providing a modernized investigation in order to examine whether or not Members of the European Parliament’s (‘MEP’) careers can still be conceived in accordance with classical taxonomies, to what extent they can be seen as evolutionary, and which specific factors lie at the core of this complex scenario. Evidence from our analysis suggests that, despite considerable improvements, the EP is still intended to be an under-institutionalized legislature whose consolidation patterns seem to vary according to time and place.