The Politics of Investigative Parliamentary Committees: Evidence from Central and Eastern Europe

Ad hoc investigative parliamentary committees are a powerful tool for the opposition to inquire into the most serious cases of executive misconduct. They usually involve the questioning of high-profile political actors and are closely followed by media and citizens. At the same time, the final decision on the establishment of an ad hoc committee usually lies with the parliamentary majority supporting the government, which might seek to avoid such publicly visible scrutiny. However, the process of establishing ad hoc investigative committees is poorly understood. This paper examines the conditions under which the government accepts the proposal to establish an ad hoc investigative committee. It focuses on the level of involvement of the current government into the case, the amount of financial damage, and the timing of the proposal in the electoral cycle. Empirically, the paper explores an original and comprehensive dataset of proposals for establishment of ad hoc investigative committees in Bulgaria, Croatia, and Romania since democratic transition. The paper contributes to the better understanding of legislative scrutiny in CEE, and particularly the government-opposition interaction in this respect.