Altering the status quo: examining second chamber reform and anti-corruption efforts under parliamentary bicameralism

Discussions of bicameralism often identify the extent to which it reduces the likelihood of corruption while at the same time recognizing that bicameralism makes the status quo more difficult to shift and can result in legislative gridlock. This chapter uses a case study approach, focusing on the British House of Lords, to examine the extent to which legislative threat (i.e., willingness to defeat government legislation) and institutional fit (i.e., complementarity to the first chamber) shape reform efforts, while also investigating the extent to which governments bundle anticorruption efforts within larger institutional reforms. Initial findings are congruent with the idea that threat and fit plays a large role in the cameral change process and that as electorates become increasingly “dealigned” from political parties, reform efforts are more likely to include anticorruption efforts.