Corruption and Bicameral Reforms
32 Pages Posted: 16 May 2016
Date Written: May 2016
Abstract
During the last decade unicameral proposals have been put forward in fourteen US states. In this paper we analyze the effects of the proposed constitutional reforms, in a setting where decision making is subject to 'hard time constraints', and lawmakers face the opposing interests of a lobby and the electorate. We show that bicameralism might lead to a decline in the lawmakers' bargaining power vis-a-vis the lobby, thus compromising their accountability to voters. Hence, bicameralism is not a panacea against the abuse of power by elected legislators and the proposed unicameral reforms could be effective in reducing corruption among elected representatives.
Keywords: Bicameralism, Corruption, Lobbying
JEL Classification: D72, D73
Suggested Citation: Suggested Citation