Título en español.

Abstract

The question of whether Puerto Rico should have a unicameral or bicameral legislative system has been widely debated during the past decade and a half. In this debate one of the main arguments in favor of bicameralism is that both chambers balance each other thus producing more moderate and inclusive legislation. In spite of the attention received, and of its importance for the political future of the country, there is a lack of empirical studies in Puerto Rico on this subject. Using logit equations, this paper compares the opinions of senators and representatives in relation to forty-six measures of political, social, economic, and ideological issues. The equations indicate that there are no significant differences between the opinios of legislator of both chambers. These results raise doubt, in the Puerto Rican context, of the advantage of bicameralism as a system that achieves moderation and balance in the legislative process.