Any committee is only as good as the most knowledgeable, determined and vigorous person on it. There must be somebody who provides the flame.

--Claudia Lady Bird Johnson


  


Parliamentary Committees Module: Unit 1: Effectiveness of Committees

 

Unit 1 Questions

Please answer each of the following questions.  If you are taking this course in a group you may then meet to discuss your answers, or join the discussion forum on these questions here.

  1. Describe the types of committees in your parliament.
  2. What are the basic functions of parliamentary committees?
  3. What are the different types of committees?
  4. What core competencies are needed by parliamentary staff to enable them to help committees?

Relevant Internet Resources

Parliamentary Centre (2004). The New Member of Parliament and Committees.
[Online]Available at: http://www.parlcent.ca/publications/pdf/MPs%20and%20Committees%20
Backgrounder%20EN.pdf Accessed January 2007.

Political Parties in the Legislature [Online] Available at: http://wwww.undp.org/governance/docs/Parl-Pub-political.htm Accessed
February 2007.

Johnson, J. K. & Nakamura, R. T. (Eds). Orientation Handbook for members of
Parliament. Washington D.C.: World Bank [Online] Available at: http://siteresources.worldbank.org/EXTPARLIAMENTARIANS/Resources/
Orientation-Handbook.pdf Accessed January 2007.

UNDP Parliamentary Committees. [Online] Available at:
http://www.undp.org/governance/docs/Parl-Pub-legiscomm.pdf Accessed
February 2007.

Rules Regulating Committees in Bangladesh Available at:
http://www.parliamentofBangladesh.org/rprocedure.htm Accessed February
2007

IDEA women in Parliament: Beyond Numbers. [Online] Available at: http://archive.idea.int/women/parl/ch4c.htm Accessed February 2007

Congressional Budget Office [online] Available at: http://www.cbo.gov/aboutcbo
/factsheet.shtml Accessed January 2007

United States House of Representatives [Online] Available at:
http://www.house.gov/ Accessed January 2007

 

Select Bibliography

House of Commons (2005)  Business of the House and its committees: a short
guide. House of Commons, London.

Longley L.  D. &  Davidson R. H. (eds.)1998. The New Role of Parliamentary
Committee. Frank Cass, London.

Schreiner, H. J. & Linn, S. (2006) The German Bundestag – Functions and Procedures.
NDV, Berlin.

Wilson. W. (1885) Congressional Government:  Referenced in Longley L.  D. & 
Davidson R. H.  (eds.)1998.

Mattson, I.  & Storm, K.   (1996)  Parliamentary Committee:  in Herbert Doring
(ed) Parliaments and. Majority Rule in Western Europe New York: St. Martin’s

 

Additional Reading

Limon, D. & McKay, W. R. (eds.) 1997. Erskine May’s Treatise on the law,
Privileges, Proceeding and the usage of Parliament. 22nd Edition,
Butterworths, London.

Rockman, B. A. (1984) Legislative-Executive Relations and Legislative
Oversight Legislative Studies Quarterly, Vol. 9, No. 3 (Aug., 1984), pp.
387-440.

 

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