Spain

Datasets

Datasets are described below. For more information, please visit the Quality of Government Research Group website (www.Q-dem.com).

Media

• Media El Mundo

  This database includes information about all the stories published in the front pages of El Mundo.

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows: Chaqués Bonafont, L., Palau, A. and Baumgartner, F.R., 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. London: Palgrave.

   

  
  50648 observations spanning the years 1996 to 2011
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• Media El Pais

  This database includes information about all the stories published in the front pages of El País.

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows: Chaqués Bonafont, L., Palau, A. and Baumgartner, F.R., 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. London: Palgrave

  
  56540 observations spanning the years 1996 to 2011
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Parliamentary & Legislative

• Interest Groups Appearances in Parliamentary Committees

  In this database, we have recorded all the appearances of interest organisations in all the parliamentary committees of the Congreso de los Diputados (Spanish lower chamber) from 1996 to 2015. In Spain, interest groups access to the Parliamentary arena is always mediated by parliamentary groups, which decide whether to invite an interest group, and what matters should be discussed. More precisely, article 54 of the rules of the Congreso de los Diputados states that parliamentary groups may invite individuals and organisations to participate in committee meetings to perform several functions: to contribute to developing the tasks of oversight policy implementation; to provide information about specific issues; and/or to explain specific policy positions on an issue. Article 54 also states that parliamentary groups may grant access to interest groups to participate in research commissions, created ad hoc for the discussion of specific issues like corruption scandals, or focusing events. In all cases, the committee board (mesa de la comisión) acts as a gatekeeper, setting the agenda for each session.  

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows:Chaqués-Bonafont, L. and Muñoz Marquez, L.M., 2016. Explaining interest group access to parliamentary committees. West European Politics, 39(6), pp.1276-1298.

  
  This dataset is not available in the trends tool.
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• Laws

  This database includes information about organic laws, ordinary laws, decree laws and legislative decrees.

   

  Organic laws require the agreement of the absolute majority of members in the Chamber to be passed. They are also subject to limitations in terms of issue content. According to article 81 of the Spanish Constitution, organic laws regulate fundamental rights, the general electoral system, the approval of regional statutes (Estatutos de Autonomía), basic institutions like the Constitutional Court or the Ombudsman (Defensor del Pueblo) and the states of alert, emergency or siege. Since the Constitutional reform introduced in 2011, according to article 135, an organic law also regulates the maximum structural deficit that the state and regional authorities may have in relation to their gross domestic product.

   

  Decree-laws are provisional regulatory acts passed by the executive in case of extraordinary and urgent need, when exceptional circumstances make following ordinary legislative procedure impossible. According to article 86 of the Spanish Constitution, they are also subjected to issue content restrictions as they can only deal with issues not related to the regulation of basic institutions, or fundamental rights or freedoms regulated in Title I of the Constitution. They are provisional because they have to be submitted for debate and voting by the entire Chamber of Deputies within thirty days of their promulgation. The voting is about the entire content of the decree-law, and deputies do not have the possibility to introduce specific amendments.   

   

  Legislative decrees are regulated by article 82 of the Spanish Constitution. The Chamber may delegate to the Government the power to issue rules with the force of law on specific matters not included in the list of issues that have to be regulated by organic law. Legislative delegation must be granted by means of a basic law when its purpose is that of drawing up texts comprising various articles, or by an ordinary law when it is a matter of consolidating several legal texts into one.

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows: Chaqués Bonafont, L., Palau, A. and Baumgartner, F.R., 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. London: Palgrave.

   

  2.356 observations spanning the years 1980 to 2018.

  
  2256 observations spanning the years 1980 to 2018
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• Oral Questions

  This database includes information about oral questions introduced by parliamentary groups in plenary meetings, and parliamentary committee meetings.  According to the Congress’ Standing Orders (articles 185-190), oral questions are presented at a fixed question time on a regular basis (generally on Wednesdays). Individual MPs, not parliamentary groups, have the authority to ask parliamentary questions. However, in practice, the strong party discipline that characterizes the Spanish political system means that the parties control the process.MPs hand in their questions in advance so that the executive has time to prepare a response. When question time comes the MP asks the question and a member of the executive branch (the Prime Minister, a Minister, or a Secretary of State) responds, both orally. The rules governing question time have been significantly changed over time (for a detailed explanation see Chaqués, Palau and Baumgartner 2015).

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows: Chaqués Bonafont, L., Palau, A. and Baumgartner, F.R., 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. London: Palgrave 43.175 observations spanning the years 1977 to 2018

  
  43175 observations spanning the years 1977 to 2018
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• Parliamentary Bills

  This database includes information about Parliamentary Bills. Parliamentary Bills can be introduced by at least 14 MPs, 25 Senators, by a parliamentary group with the signature of the speaker, by the Legislative Assemblies of Regional Authorities (Comunidades Autónomas) or by popular initiative following a quite restrictive procedure that requires 500,000 signatures of support (according to article 87 of the Spanish Constitution, articles 124-129 of the Congress’ Standing Orders and Organic Law 3/1984). Parliamentary bills, contrary to executive bills, have to pass a taking into consideration debate and a formal voting in the Chamber (with the exception of those coming from the Senate) so that only those having a wide support have the possibility to enter the legislative process. Parliamentary bills cannot be related to budget issues neither involve credit increase or income reduction. Those coming from popular initiative cannot be related to issues reserved to organic law, taxes, international affairs neither prerogative of mercy.

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows: Chaqués Bonafont, L., Palau, A. and Baumgartner, F.R., 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. London: Palgrave.

   

  2.390 observations spanning the years 1982 to 2018.

  
  2390 observations spanning the years 1982 to 2017
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Prime Minister & Executive

• Executive Bills

  This database includes information about bills initiated by the executive. Bills submitted by the executive shall have an explanatory memorandum and the necessary supporting information so as to make possible a decision on them (article 109 of the Congress’ Standing Orders). The Bureau of Congress is responsible for publishing the bill and for setting a date for the opening of the period during which amendments may be proposed and refer the bill to the appropriate committee.

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows: Chaqués Bonafont, L., Palau, A. and Baumgartner, F.R., 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. London: Palgrave.

   

  1.946 observations spanning the years 1982 to 2018.

  
  1945 observations spanning the years 1977 to 2018
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• Prime Minister Speeches

  This database includes information about Prime Minister Speeches (investiture speeches (Discurso de Investidura) and state of the nation debates (Debate sobre Política General en torno al Estado de la Nación). In the investiture speech the candidate to the presidency of the Spanish government presents his program in order to seek the confidence of the Parliament providing important information about the policy priorities of the government for the next legislature. As defined in article 99 of the Spanish Constitution, the proposed candidate (designated by the King after consultation with the representatives designated by parliamentary group with representation in the Spanish Parliament) has to submit to the Parliament the political program of the Government he intends to form. In the state of the nation debate, that takes place annually (with the exception of election years), the Prime Minister informs the Parliament about his future policy priorities as well as about the evolution and implementation of the electoral program, informing about variations in the content of the governmental agenda since the beginning of the term. The Prime Minister speeches were coded at the quasi sentence level. A quasi-sentence is a unit of analysis that contains a single message or statement so that a natural sentence can contain one or more quasi-sentences.

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows: Chaqués Bonafont, L., Palau, A. and Baumgartner, F.R., 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. London: Palgrave.

   

  12171 observations spanning the years 1982 to 2016.

  
  12171 observations spanning the years 1982 to 2015
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Political Parties

• Party Manifestos

  This database includes information about the party manifestos of the governing party and the main party in opposition. Party manifestos were coded at the quasi sentence level. A quasi-sentence is a unit of analysis that contains a single message or statement so that a natural sentence can contain one or more quasi-sentences.

   

  When using this data, please cite us as follows: Chaqués Bonafont, L., Palau, A. and Baumgartner, F.R., 2015. Agenda Dynamics in Spain. London: Palgrave.

  
  16280 observations spanning the years 1982 to 2008
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