A more precise way to assess the success of the president’s legislative agenda: the success of presidential priority bills in Chile, 1990–2018

Where did Hyper-Presidentialism Go? The Origin of Bills and Laws Passed in Chile, 1990–2022

“…Recent studies find that the legislature has found additional ways to influence the lawmaking process (Arana Araya, 2015;Faúndez Caicedo et al, 2022). Using different methodologies and approaches, a few studies openly call into question the alleged existence of hyperpresidentialism in Chile (Martínez and Dockendorff, 2023;Mimica et al, 2023;Jaime-Godoy and Navia, 2023). Martínez and Dockendorff (2023) discuss the constitutional powers, the balance of powers between the executive and other democratic institutions, and the strength of political parties in congress to question the claim that there is hyper-presidentialism in Chile.…”

“…The legislature has a high level of institutionalization (Nolte, 2003). The stability of the system depends on the existence of a multiparty coalition supporting the president (Siavelis, 2000), and there is plenty of cooperation between the executive and the legislature (Siavelis, 2000; Berríos and Gamboa, 2006; Jaime-Godoy and Navia, 2023). In fact, Chilean presidents cannot unilaterally modify the status quo (Alemán and Navia, 2016).…”

“…About a third of the laws passed between 1990 and 2018 came from legislator-initiated bills (Jaime-Godoy and Navia, 2023). Legislators are partisan and coalitions cohesive in their roll call votes (Toro Maureira, 2007; Figueroa and Navia, 2021).…”

“…Legislators normally team up with colleagues from other parties to author bills (Faúndez Caicedo et al, 2022) and advance their political careers (Escobedo Aránguiz and Navia, 2020). Bills are more likely to succeed when they are coauthored by legislators from different coalitions (Le Foulon Moran, 2020; Dockendorff, 2021) and when they receive a presidential urgency motion (Jaime-Godoy and Navia, 2023), and less likely to succeed when they are introduced by first-termers (Dockendorff, 2021). The share of legislator-initiated bills introduced increased substantially after the 2005 comprehensive set of constitutional reforms (Jaime-Godoy and Navia, 2023).…”

“…Bills are more likely to succeed when they are coauthored by legislators from different coalitions (Le Foulon Moran, 2020; Dockendorff, 2021) and when they receive a presidential urgency motion (Jaime-Godoy and Navia, 2023), and less likely to succeed when they are introduced by first-termers (Dockendorff, 2021). The share of legislator-initiated bills introduced increased substantially after the 2005 comprehensive set of constitutional reforms (Jaime-Godoy and Navia, 2023). In the 1990–2018 period, about a third of the laws enacted were initiated as a legislator bill, but after the 2005 reforms, their rate of passage declined (Faúndez Caicedo et al, 2022).…”