Would-be M.E.P.s: backgrounds, profiles and trajectories

The characteristics of the elected representatives and candidates are an important element for understanding political systems. For this reason, this article, focusing on the Italian case, examines the socio-demographic peculiarities and the political-professional background of the candidates and elected to the 2019 elections for the European Parliament. The article has at least three reasons of interest. First, the work is based on an original and up-to-date data set. Secondly, the article presents some descriptive empirical analyses which, although focused on a single case and a single electoral round, provide some relevant indications, demonstrating how, on average, Italian M.E.P.s are not very different from those of other E.U. member states. Finally, the descriptive analysis is followed by an explanatory attempt aimed at understanding the characteristics that increase the likelihood of being elected. In this regard, the inferential analysis shows that candidates with previous political experience at the E.U. level are much more likely to be elected than others.