Free riding in state legislatures

This paper applies the theory of team production to the legislative process and tests the empirical implications of that theory using a unique state-level data set. Empirically testable hypotheses are derived from the theory, including predictions that free riding will increase as chamber (or majority) size increases, and that legislative institutions (such as committee structure and staffing levels) can mitigate free riding. The hypotheses are tested using a pooled state-level data set developed from the session laws of twenty-three state legislatures. The empirical results are consistent with the major hypotheses.