Electoral Rules and Legislators’ Productivity

Abstract

Abstract Over the years, there have been a variety of changes to candidate selection methods for the Israeli Knesset. As a result, there have been changes in the way the Knesset functions. This study investigates whether these changes have made legislators more productive. To explore this issue, we used Akirav’s (2016) legislative productivity scale with data from the 14th, 16th and 19th Knesset (Israel’s parliament) terms to test several hypotheses. We found that in Israel, the candidate selection process affects legislators’ productivity, with the 19th Knesset proving the most productive. Nevertheless, in Israel, legislators’ productivity does not affect the likelihood of them being reelected.