Legislative production and political mediation: indications in the Chamber of Deputies

Abstract

The article analyzes the production of indications by federal deputies from 2007 until 2018. The indication is a legislative measure that is characterized as a suggestion, which parliamentarians use to request that the executive branch " and other public bodies "carry out public works, regulate or provide services. In addition to presenting an overview of the production of indications in the period mentioned, the article defends the hypothesis that deputies use indications to distribute concentrated benefits to obtain electoral gains. It also defends the hypothesis that deputies that support the government, because they have more positive expectations in relation to the acceptance of their suggestions by the government, are more fruitful in the production of indications. To test the hypotheses, the article examined 19,058 properly categorized indications. The data shows that federal deputies make ostensive use of indications to transfer benefits to their districts and that deputies that support the government are more likely to propose indications than deputies that do not.

legislative production; recommendations; Chamber of Deputies