multi-level systems of governance
0 = unitary system
1 = multi-level system

member of a regional parliament
0 = national/federal Parliament
1 = regional Parliament

governing party
0 = opposition
1 = government

the level on which the Member was elected
1 = 1st tier
2 = 2nd tier
3 = 3rd tier

language of the questionnaire the Member filled out
1 = Basque
2 = Castilian
3 = Catalan
4 = Dutch
5 = English
6 = French
7 = German
8 = Hebrew
9 = Hungarian
10 = Italian
11 = Norwegian
12 = Polish
13 = Portuguese
14 = Valencian

method of responding
1 = online web-survey
2 = hardcopy
3 = telephone
4 = face-to-face

0 = male
1 = female

highest level of education
1 = primary and/or secondary education
2 = non-university higher education
3 = university

previous parliamentary experience at the regional level
0 = no
1 = yes

any other position (see codebook for country specifics)
0 = no
1 = yes
98 = not applicable

another measure of the degree of activity in Parliament (see codebook for country specifics)
99 = missing

level of candidacy in mixed-member systems
1 = candidate at the nominal level only
2 = candidate at the proportional level only
3 = candidate at both levels

satisfaction in scrutinising the government
1 = very unsatisfied
2 = fairly unsatisfied
3 = rather satisfied
4 = very satisfied

members frequently question another member's sincerity and integrity in public
1 = false
2 = mostly false
3 = neither
4 = mostly true
5 = true

your most important task as a Member of Parliament
1 = influencing government policy
2 = providing assistance to individual voters in their dealings with public authorities
3 = looking after the collective social and economic needs of the local area
4 = liaising between members of the PPG and the party leadership and managing Parliament's business

specialist - generalist
1 = I specialize in one or two policy areas
2 = I try to keep up with a wide range of issues

How often have you found yourself in the position that your party had one opinion on a vote in Parliament, and you personally had a different opinion?
1 = about once a month
2 = about every three months
3 = about once a year
4 = (almost) never

How should a Member of Parliament vote if his/her own opinion on an issue does not correspond with the opinion of his/her party?
1 = MP should vote according to his/her own opinion
2 = MP should vote according to his/her party's opinion

How should a Member of Parliament vote if his/her own opinion on an issue does not correspond with the opinion of his/her voters?
1 = MP should vote according to his/her own opinion
2 = MP should vote according to the opinion of his/her voters

How should a Member of Parliament vote if his/her voters have one opinion and his/her party takes a different position?
1 = MP should vote according to the opinion of his/her voters
2 = MP should vote according to his/her party's opinion

How should a Member of Parliament vote if his/her regional party has one opinion and his/her national party takes a different position?
1 = MP should vote according to his/her regional party's opinion
2 = MP should vote according to his/her national party's opinion

the state no longer possesses the capacity to solve society's most pressing needs
1 = strongly disagree
2 = disagree
3 = neither
4 = agree
5 = strongly agree

desirability of increasing the number of referendums
1 = not at all desirable
2 = not very desirable
3 = fairly desirable
4 = very desirable

importance of promoting the views and interests of all the people who voted for you
1 = 1: of no importance
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5
6 = 6
7 = 7: of great importance

frequency of attending (or sending out letters on the occasion of) weddings, wedding anniversaries, and funerals in your local area
1 = at least once a week
2 = at least once a fortnight
3 = at least once a month
4 = at least every three months
5 = might do it
6 = would never

dilemma 1: personal vs. party campaign
1 = 1: personal campaign
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: party campaign

dilemma 2: vote-seeking within vs. beyond the party's core electorate
1 = 1: mobilize the party faithful
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: persuade floating voters and supporters of the other parties

dilemma 3: protectionist vs. expansionist vote-seeking strategy
1 = 1: retain the support from the groups in society that have supported you in the past
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: seek out groups in society that haven't supported you in the past

dilemma 4: leader vs. one of them
1 = 1: be considered a leader by voters
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: be considered by voters as one of them

dilemma 5: regional/national party's support vs. local party's support
1 = 1: obtain the regional/national party leadership's support
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: obtain the local party's support

frequency of contact with youth organizations
1 = at least once a week
2 = at least once a month
3 = at least every three months
4 = at least once a year
5 = (almost) no contact

effectiveness of boycotting certain products
1 = 1: not at all effective
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5
6 = 6
7 = 7: very effective

How often do you speak at the meetings of your parliamentary party?
1 = (almost) at every meeting
2 = at least once a month
3 = at least every three months
4 = at least once a year
5 = (almost) never

party discipline
1 = should be more strict
2 = should remain as it is
3 = should be less strict

dilemma 1: bottom-up vs. top-down representation
1 = 1: politicians should aim to translate the political views of citizens into policy as accurately as possible
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: politicians should stand clearly on their party's platform and aim to win citizen support for those views

dilemma 2: ex ante vs. ex post representation
1 = 1: in elections, politicians should account to the voters for their actions in the past
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: in elections, politicians should put their plans for the future to the voters

dilemma 3: direct vs. representative democracy
1 = 1: the most important policy questions should be put to the voters in a referendum
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: the representatives of the people should have the final word in all decisions

dilemma 4: keep to the party line vs. prepared to accommodate other interests
1 = 1: a Member of Parliament should resist the demands of other interests and keep to the party line
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5: a Member of Parliament should be prepared to accommodate the demands of other interests

How important would you say it is in a democracy that the majority of the population does not override the concerns of any significant minority
1 = not at all important
2 = not very important
3 = fairly important
4 = very important

Left-right scale: your own views?
0 = 0: Left
1 = 1
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5
6 = 6
7 = 7
8 = 8
9 = 9
10 = 10: Right

Extent of regionalization: your own views?
0 = 0: more powers to the regional level
1 = 1
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5
6 = 6
7 = 7
8 = 8
9 = 9
10 = 10: more powers to the national level

Extent of European integration: your own views?
0 = 0: has already gone too far
1 = 1
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4
5 = 5
6 = 6
7 = 7
8 = 8
9 = 9
10 = 10: should be pushed further

If you were to decide to stand at the next regional/national elections, how confident do you feel that you would be renominated by your party?
1 = I would surely win the reselection contest
2 = I would probably win the reselection contest
3 = It could go either way
4 = I would probably lose the reselection contest
5 = I would surely lose the reselection contest

If you were to decide to stand at the next regional/national elections, how confident do you feel you would be re-elected?
1 = I would surely be elected
2 = I would probably be elected
3 = It could go either way
4 = I would probably not be elected
5 = I would surely not be elected

Do you intend to stand in the next regional/national elections?
1 = yes
2 = I have not decided yet
3 = no

Mixed-member system: Do you intend to stand in the next regional/national elections?
1 = yes, as a constituency candidate
2 = yes, as a list candidate
3 = yes, as both a constituency and a list candidate
4 = I have not decided yet
5 = no

President
0 = no
1 = yes
99996 = invalid
99997 = not asked
99998 = not codable
99999 = not answered

extent to which a regional government is autonomous rather than deconcentrated
0 = 0
1 = 1
2 = 2
3 = 3

range of policies for which a regional government is responsible
0 = 0
1 = 1
2 = 2
3 = 3
4 = 4

extent to which regional representatives co-determine national legislation
0 = 0
1 = 1
2 = 2

0 = Not Selected
1 = Selected

ideology of the party
LIB = liberal party
SOC = socialist or social democratic party
CHD = Christian democratic party
REG = ethnic or regionalist party
OTH = other
REL = religious party
COM = communist party
SIN = single issue party
CON = conservative party
ECO = green or ecologist party
FAR = far right/anti immigrant party
AGR = agrarian party