Democratic accountability regimes, populism, and transparency in the European Parliament

This study examines how national democratic accountability regimes and populism influence transparency supplied and demanded in the European Parliament. The study builds on research on legislative transparency, democratic accountability and populism, and is based on an analysis of the activity of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) during the 9th European Parliament term. It shows that MEPs from countries with strong accountability regimes supply and demand more transparency, and that MEPs from populist parties supply less transparency but demand more than those from mainstream parties. The study also shows that MEPs from mainstream and populist parties coming from countries with weak democratic accountability do not differ in their supply and demand for transparency. However, when they come from countries with strong accountability regimes, MEPs from mainstream parties supply more transparency, while MEPs from populist parties demand more transparency. The study makes contributions to research on EU transparency and populism in Europe, and has relevant implications in terms of EU democratic quality.