Nationale Politieke Index
How does it work?
Who are our politicians and what exactly do they do in the parliament? The Nationale Politieke Index (NPI) seeks to answer that question. Of course: we all know appearances by Members of Parliament on daily talk shows. And these are not insignificant.
But there is more, much more. So meet the highest 'scoring' Members of Parliament in the Netherlands. So you know who to keep an eye on. And remember: who you think is the 'best' Member of Parliament is entirely up to you.
The Nationale Politieke Index aims to reveal how our Members of Parliament are discharging their three important constitutional duties. Those of (co-)legislator, controller of government and representative of the people.
Based on data kept by the parliament itself, the NPI 'measures' through a large number of relevant indicators how Members of Parliament carry out the craft of parliamentary work, which receives little media attention but is crucial to the functioning of democracy.
The Nationale Politiek Index makes no statement about the quality of parliamentary work. Whether a bill, motion or question appeals to you - or not, is up to you.
Also, some members rank lower because they have duties that are not measured, such as leading a faction. This also applies to the Speaker of the Parliament.
So the NPI also has its well-considered limitations, but is an innovative tool for providing insight into an important part of the invisible work in the Parliament.
The NPI also draws heavily on the ideas that members themselves have provided in recent years.
The politician of the year has so far been chosen by a handful of journalists. Now there is also the Nationale Politieke Index, which provides some order to reality in the Hague based on numbers. No more and no less.
The Nationale Politieke Index is based on the three major duties that Members of Parliament have. Those of (co-)legislator, controller of the government and representative of the people.
Three roles of Members of Parliament
(Co-)legislator
A member of the parliament is a (co-)legislator. The right to make laws is enshrined in the Constitution and is one of the most important duties of parliament. This role is measured by the Nationale Politieke Index by looking at whether and how often members are involved in the creation of initiative papers, initiative bills, bills passed, amendments, and in memorandum and legislative deliberations. Matters relevant to a member's legislative duties.
Controller of government
Another main task of Members of Parliament is to control the government. To do so, a Member of Parliament has several tools, which are measured and mapped by the Nationale Politieke Index. Examples include asking Parliamentary questions, involvement in tabling motions and pledges, attendance at technical briefings, and important and intensive membership on a parliamentary inquiry or committee of inquiry.
People's Representative
A Member of Parliament is elected by the people. Representing citizens in the democratic process is thus an important part of membership in the Parliament and an essential task for Members of Parliament. It's called representation of people for a reason. The Nationale Politieke Index examines how often a Member of Parliament is involved in committee debates, two-minute debates, plenary debates, hearings, roundtable discussions, how often a Member receive petitions and make working visits in committee and all non-standing committees.
Weighting of indicators
Note: not all indicators are equally important. Making a law is much more work than asking parliamentary questions. For example, a passed bill earns 1000 points, an amendment 300 points, participation in a parliamentary inquiry committee 200 points (per month), a passed motion 50 points, a set of parliamentary questions 5 points, and so on. As of March 2023, we also give minus points. Each motion submitted “costs” points. Only when it is accepted do you “earn” points. This is so as not to reward haphazard filing of motions.
The Member of Parliament with the highest score ends up at the top of the Index, thus creating a ranking; after all, the best way to compare a member's performance in parliament is with that of immediate colleagues.
The final result is an arrangement of exactly what Members of Parliament do in parliament. This is how the NPI makes parliamentary “handiwork” insightful for you.
So the NPI provides a lot of useful information about MPs, but of course this does not say everything, ultimately you decide who you prefer and why.