Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/232415 
Year of Publication: 
2021
Series/Report no.: 
CESifo Working Paper No. 8818
Publisher: 
Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute (CESifo), Munich
Abstract: 
We study political polarization in a parliamentary setting dominated by strong parties. In addition to examining polarization along the left-right dimension, we consider political divergence between legislators belonging to the same political bloc. Are politicians’ background characteristics unimportant when parties have powerful tools to discipline their rank-and-file? We investigate this question using legislative speech from the Norwegian Parliament and recently developed techniques for measuring group differences in high-dimensional choices. Across the background characteristics we consider — gender, age, urbanicity, and class background — we document substantial differences in speech, even when comparing legislators from the same party bloc and policy committee. Our results illuminate how individual legislators shape policymaking in party-centered environments.
Subjects: 
political polarization
text analysis
penalized logistic regression
JEL: 
D72
Document Type: 
Working Paper
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