Parliamentary committees play a decisive role in lawmaking, yet their internal dynamics remain largely unexplored in political science - particularly when it comes to voting behavior. This book breaks new ground by systematically analyzing committee-level voting in the European Parliament (EP), drawing on an original dataset that covers the EPs 8th legislative term (2014 - 2019). It offers the first comprehensive empirical assessment of how consensus, cohesion and coherence emerge within committees and how these dynamics shape legislative outcomes.
Through rigorous analysis, the book reveals how internal committee decisions influence the EPs institutional role, legislative efficiency, and democratic legitimacy. It situates the EPcharacterized by strong committees and exceptional transparencywithin comparative parliamentary research and uses it as a lens to explore broader questions of legislative governance within the European Union and beyond.
By linking empirical findings to key theoretical debates, this book contributes to a deeper understanding of legislative behavior, institutional negotiation, and the evolving nature of parliamentary democracy. As such, it is an essential resource for scholars of EU politics, legislative studies, and institutional theory.
