ATTITUDES TOWARDS THE FOCUS AND STYLE OF POLITICAL REPRESENTATION AMONG BELGIAN, FRENCH AND PORTUGUESE PARLIAMENTARIANS

This article analyses the attitudes of members of parliament towards representation. Based on the PARENEL project dataset, it takes an individual-level approach to examine the focus and style of representation of Belgian, French and Portuguese representatives. It shows that, given the complexity of the process of representation, MPs have various principals and develop multiple foci of representation. It also demonstrates the impact of electoral rules, career patterns and MPs' goals on their focus of representation.