Document Type
Article
Publication Date
4-1-2005
Abstract
This paper examines the effects of term limits and state legislative professionalization on the performance of state legislatures in the United States by analyzing two key measures of performance: bond ratings and the ability of the states to adopt their budgets on time. All fifty states are included in the study, although some states do not have general obligation debt, and some states do not adopt their budgets as a whole but rather in multiple bills, making them ineligible for testing. Both professionalization and term limits increase the odds of a lower bond rating at a significance level of .05 or better. Neither professionalization nor term limits has a significant effect on the odds of a state adopting the budget on time. Increases in the power of the governor appear to decrease the odds of better bond ratings and do not have a significant effect on the likelihood of adopting the budget on time. Party unity increases the odds of higher bond ratings and of adopting a budget on time.
Keywords
term limits (public office)--United States--States, legislative bodies--United States--States
Rights
© The Author(s). Kelvin Smith Library provides access for non-commercial, personal, or research use only. All other use, including but not limited to commercial or scholarly reproductions, redistribution, publication or transmission, whether by electronic means or otherwise, without prior written permission is strictly prohibited.
Department/Center
Design & Innovation
Recommended Citation
Waters, Susan B., "The Effect of Term Limits and Professionalization on State Legislative Performance" (2005). Student Scholarship. 441.
https://commons.case.edu/studentworks/441