Determinants of effort in Argentine Congress

Abstract

This study explores the determinants of the effort of Argentine legislators. An index of legislative effort is constructed using four objective measures: floor attendance, committee attendance, number of bills introduced, and number of bills ratified. Results show that serving additional years in Congress has a negative impact on legislative effort. However, effectiveness (as measured by the ration of bills ratified to bills introduced) increases with the time served in Congress. Being part of the majority party has the highest effect on the proportion of bills ratified and bills introduced. It is valuable to have the effort index disaggregated in its components in order to better understand the dynamics of Argentine Congress.