ABSTRACT
This chapter provides more insight into the processes of committee member selection. The evidence relies on case studies of the proceedings in the Dutch Tweede Kamer, the German Bundestag, and the Irish Dáil Éireann. Although PPGs have a significant stake in the assignment process, we do not fully understand based on which fundamental reasons and principles committee seats are assigned. The analysis uses a mixed-methods approach. First, results from a statistical analysis of assignments to specialised committees in the three parliaments over multiple legislative periods are presented. The results are backed up with evidence from semi-structured elite interviews with MPs. Processes in the Bundestag and the Tweede Kamer indicate that members’ preferences are evaluated, and attempts are made to accommodate them. In the Dáil, the leadership of most PPGs assigns MPs to committees more autonomously. Among the more personal characteristics of MPs, advantages in knowledge related to a policy area are the best predictor to explain the assignments. Additionally, assignments show that MPs are likely to continue on the same committee in successive legislative periods. There are several country-specific influences that the interviews uncover. The results also, generally, support the predictions of the ‘keeping tabs’ perspective.
