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Between Path Dependence and Political Elite Capture: The Second Chambers in Central and Eastern European Unitary States Explained

Research on second chambers (or upper houses) of bicameral legislatures has focused on examples of strong bicameralisms – the United States and Germany – or traditional examples of second chambers, like the British House of Lords. What is rarely researched is the reason why second chambers exist in unitary states with no visible societal cleavages. This paper aims to review the reasons for the establishment of, as well as the necessity of maintaining, second chambers in unitary states of Central and Eastern Europe. It discusses four cases – the Czech Republic, Poland, Romania, and Slovenia – analysing their constitutions and other primary and secondary literature that deals with the establishment and functioning of second chambers. The main findings show that second chambers in unitary states of Central and Eastern Europe were established and/or maintained due to a combination of institutional path dependence and the capture of the institution by a political elite. This paper argues that an institutional framework can maintain and support an atavistic institution, but political actors need to find a function for it in order for the institution to maintain its legitimacy.

bicameralism, second chambers, Central and Eastern Europe, capture, path dependancy

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