The representation of voter groups in the European Parliament: a Penrose-Banzhaf index analysis

Which voter groups are best represented in the European Parliament? Is a small (national) group of members of EP in a large party group more powerful than a large (national) group of members in a small party group? These questions are analyzed with the aid of the non-normalized Banzhaf index of a priori voting power. Using this index we look at the degree to which voters supporting various groups are being represented in European Parliament. The empirical material used is the current seat distribution of the European Parliament and the results of the most recent European Parliament elections. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.