Rethinking retirement: ambition in term-limited legislatures

Political careerism has long focused on the idea of progressive ambition, rarely using retirements as a measure. The end of a legislator's career can reveal how term limits have changed the institution and legislative behaviour. Term limits, intended to curb legislative careers, have unintentio...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of legislative studies 2021-04, Vol.27 (2), p.285-299
Main Author: Butcher, Jordan
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ambition
Aspiration
Careers
Comparative analysis
Legislators
Legislatures
political ambition
Retirement
state legislatures
Term limitations
term limits
Term of office
United States
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Summary:Political careerism has long focused on the idea of progressive ambition, rarely using retirements as a measure. The end of a legislator's career can reveal how term limits have changed the institution and legislative behaviour. Term limits, intended to curb legislative careers, have unintentionally led to changes in career ambition. The rate at which members retire is dependent on the type of term limit that a member faces and the institutional incentives to continue service. This comparative analysis uses retirement rates as a proxy for static, career-oriented ambition and reveals that there is a decreased probability of term-limited legislators retiring. The decreasing retirement rate indicates a lesser-known pathway for static ambition. Although ambition is typically viewed as those who move upward, it is also about those who rethink retirement and choose to continue serving.
ISSN:1357-2334
1743-9337
DOI:10.1080/13572334.2020.1812199