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.

Representation:

• Which best describes representatives in your parliament – delegates, trustees, responsible party, other?  Explain why. 

• What is the percentage of women MPs in your parliament?  Are measures being pursued to increase this percentage?

• How important is it that MPs share characteristics of those they represent?  Describe the electoral system in your country.  Do MPs represent geographical areas, party, ethnic group, gender, other characteristic?   

• What services are available in your parliament to help MPs in their dealings with constituents?  Budget for travel?  District offices?  Is there staff dedicated to helping MPs in their relations with constituents?

Lawmaking

• Describe the lawmaking process in your parliament.  Do private members introduce legislation?  What percentage of bills which become law originate in the parliament, and what percentage come from the cabinet?

• How open, or closed, is the lawmaking process in your parliament?

• Are citizens able to attend plenary sessions, committee meetings?  If they are, how many attend?

• What kind of professional services available to help with bill drafting?  Do members need to fund their own research?  Their own bill drafting?

Oversight

• Does your parliament use any of the oversight tools described in this chapter?

• What other oversight tools can you think of which might be helpful for your parliament?

Relevant Internet Resources

The World of Parliaments
http://www.ipu.org/news-e/13-7.htm

Lawmaking and Stages of Legislative Procedure http://magnet.undp.org/Docs/parliaments/Legislative%20Processes.htm

Parliamentary Monitoring Group
http://www.pmg.org.za/whatispmg.php

The United Kingdom Parliament
http://www.parliament.uk/faq/visits_faq_page.cfm#vis3

Select Bibliography

Constitution of Colombia, Article 171.

Samuel P. Huntington:  The Third Wave:  Democratization in the Late 20th Century.  University of Oklahoma Press, 1991. p.3

Strengthening Legislative Capacity in Legislative-Executive Relations, Legislative Research Series – Paper #6, National Democratic Institute for International Affairs, 2000

Nelson W. Polsby, “Legislatures,” in Handbook of Political Science: Government Institutions and Processes, eds., Fred Greenstein and Nelson Polsby (Reading, MA: Addison Wesley, 1975). 

Remington, Thomas, Separation of Powers and Legislative Oversight in Russia, Legislatures and Oversight, WBI Working Paper Series, World Bank Institute, 2004

Alan Rosenthal, Heavy Lifting: The Job of the American Legislature, (Washington, D.C. CQ Press, 2004) P.44.

SADC Parliamentary Forum, MPs Orientation Handbook, Southern African Development Community Parliamentary Forum, Windhoek, Namibia, 2004

Weldon, Jeffrey, The Spring 2004 Term of the Mexican Congress.  Center for Strategic and International Studies, Washington, D.C. pp. 25 - 26.  2004

Dr Gianni Zappal, Research Paper 28 1998-99, Challenges to the Concept and Practice of Political Representation in Australia, Parliament of Australia, 29 June 1999.