Guarding the Guardians
Legislative Self-Policing and Electoral Corruption in Victorian Britain
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 12802459 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Andrew C Eggers (0000-0002-2362-0654, corresponding author), Arthur Spirling (0000-0001-9959-1805) |
| Year | 2014 |
| Volume | 9 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 337-370 |
| Publication date | 2014-09-18 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | No |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Quarterly Journal of Political Science (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1554-0626 • E-ISSN: 1554-0634 |
| Publisher | Now Publishers (PUBLISHER • NL) |
| DOI | 10.1561/100.00013098 |
| OpenAlex | W2147099993 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 20 |
We offer an institutional explanation for the dramatic decline in corrupt practices that characterizes British political development in the mass suffrage era. Parliamentary candidates who faced corruption charges were judged by tribunals of sitting MPs until 1868, when this responsibility was passed to the courts. We draw on theory and empirical evidence to demonstrate that delegating responsibility over corruption trials to judges was an important institutional step in cleaning up elections. By focusing on an institutional explanation for Victorian electoral corruption (and its demise), we provide an account that complements the existing literature while offering clearer implications for contemporary policy debates
Criminology · Language change · Legislature · Political science · Sociology · Australian History and Society · Judicial and Constitutional Studies · Law · Politics and Society in Latin America · Public Administration
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| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1 |
| Citation span | 2016 - 2025 (10) |
| Citation velocity | recent |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 10 |