What the Research Says about Term Limits
By Ruth McLatchie
According to Professor Anthony Fowler of the Center for Effective Government at the University of Chicago, the body of theoretical and empirical research on term limits tells us:
- Term limits remove high-quality elected officials that voters like.
- Term limits lessen motivation for elected officials to work hard throughout their terms.
- Term limits increase polarization.
However, the research does not tell us:
- How term limits affect the kinds of people who decide to run for office.
- Whether performance of elected officials improves with experience.
- Whether term limits change the ways elected officials interact with their colleagues.
Fowler suggests that there may be better ways to foster accountability in elected officials without removing good performers or removing incentives to do a better job.
Stay tuned for more research-based information about term limits.
Keep Cool and Think It Out
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