Tried and Tested? Dynastic Persistence and Legislative Productivity at the Philippine House of Representatives

Abstract

Examining the determinants of legislative success at the Philippine House of Representatives, this study shows empirically why continuous entrenchment by political families can be detrimental to political institutions. Using count regression models, the study analyzes the patterns of law production in the Philippine Lower House beginning from the opening of the first post‐Marcos Congress (8th Congress) in 1987 to the adjournment of the 15th Congress in 2013. The study finds that successive terms in office facilitate the ability of legislators to engage in legislative activities but only up to a point. Neophyte legislators who have yet to gain a foothold in their districts appear to be more proactive in concretizing proposals into actual legislation, at least initially. Over time, when legislative districts have become family turfs, incumbents cease to invest in vote courting activities such as legislation, lending credence to the unhealthy effect of political persistence on accountability.

Fear and Loathing or Strategic Priming? Unveiling the Audience in Duterte's Crime Rhetoric

“…Second, a richer examination of presidents and the presidency warrants a probe into the institutional constraints vis-à-vis other policy actors and shapers of public opinion. This could be done by exploring the dynamics of lawmaking in the country (Panao 2014; and how its formulation signals a calibrated rhetorical alignment with the executive branch. Third, it is high time to ask whether or not Duterte is indeed a populist from both a conceptual and theoretical point of view (Hawkins 2009;Block and Negrine 2017;Sagarzazu and Thies 2019).…”