Turnover at the Micro Level: (In)voluntary Reasons for Leaving Regional Parliament

This article analyses how and why regional MPs leave parliament. Both population and survey data were collected about former MPs of the regional parliaments of Catalonia,Saxony, Flanders and Wallonia, taking into account two consecutive legislative terms (between 1999 and 2009). We investigate how the careers of the MPs end, and whether they leave voluntarily. A multivariate analysis shows that older MPs are more inclined to leave voluntarily without running in the election. There is also a gender‐effect: women are overrepresented amongst the MPs who leave involuntarily without running in the election. The duration of the mandate has no effect.status: publishe