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Do Brazilian federal deputies speak a lot? An analysis of floor speeches frequency

Abstract

This paper argues that Brazilian parliamentary activity is not limited to the decision-making process. It answers the following question: is there sufficient evidence to state that parliamentary communication is governed by the government-opposition status as previous studies have concluded about the decision-making process? To answer this question, I have analyzed the frequency of speeches of over 2,000 different Brazilian deputies over a period of more than 15 years. With robust evidence of the frequency of speeches, it appears that this activity is not governed by the government-opposition relationship. The results show the influence of other variables, such as ideology, popularity, and seniority, on parliamentary performance.

political behavior; legislative speech; parliamentary activity; Chamber of Deputies

Centro de Estudos de Opinião Pública da Universidade Estadual de Campinas Cidade Universitária 'Zeferino Vaz", CESOP, Rua Cora Coralina, 100. Prédio dos Centros e Núcleos (IFCH-Unicamp), CEP: 13083-896 Campinas - São Paulo - Brasil, Tel.: (55 19) 3521-7093 - Campinas - SP - Brazil
E-mail: rop@unicamp.br