Author Description

Outside of the United States, four nations limit legislative terms constitutionally: Costa Rica, Mexico, Ecuador, and the Philippines. In the latter two countries, the term limits have not been in place long enough to provide data for analysis. This study therefore tests the central arguments made by both supporters and opponents of such reform by primarily examining the experience of Costa Rica, the only long-term democracy to impose term limits on legislators, and by providing extensive comparisons with legislatures in Venezuela and the United States. Professor Carey challenges claims made about the effects of term limits on political careers, pork-barrel politics, and the effectiveness of political parties in passing their programs. The evidence calls into question many of the arguments made by term limit supporters in the United States and offers general arguments about how severing the electoral connection affects political behavior.