This book provides a balanced assessment of China's communist rule, its viability as well as its prospect of democracy.
The People's Congresses and Governance in China presents a complex but convincing analysis of the transformation of governance in China. As the first systemic and theoretical study of China's provincial legislatures, it draws our attention to one of the most promising growth points in China's changing constitutional order. Through in depth and first hand research, the author provides a comprehensive explanation about why the provincial legislatures have...
This book provides a balanced assessment of China's communist rule, its viability as well as its prospect of democracy.
At the end of the "founding" or initial decade, the new parliaments of post-Communist Europe had developed two distinct types: democratic and presidentially-dominated. Whilst in the early years, they had been characterised as "parliaments in adolescence," they have - through the second decade - continued to improvise but also elaborate their working relationships with both their chief executives and electorates.
This book examines these adaptations in seven parliaments, comparing both among them and with parliaments of west Europe. Their changes are traced through four...
At the end of the "founding" or initial decade, the new parliaments of post-Communist Europe had developed two distinct types: democratic and presi...
This volume advances our theoretical and empirical knowledge of the use of questioning in a number of different parliamentary settings. The propensity of parliamentarians to ask questions indicates that the interrogatories are an important tool for measuring an individual legislator's job.
This volume advances our theoretical and empirical knowledge of the use of questioning in a number of different parliamentary settings. The propensity...
This text provides a comparative study of the legislatures of small states. It explores the impact of small state size on the structure and functions of legislatures and contributes to a better understanding of the interplay of physical and social factors.
This text provides a comparative study of the legislatures of small states. It explores the impact of small state size on the structure and functions ...
Despite real improvements since the beginning of the last decade, legislative studies are still underdeveloped in France, compared to other modern democracies. This weakness is linked to the characteristics of the political system itself: the Constitution of 1958 has created a semi-presidential regime, the centrality of which has been constantly reinforced since. The French parliament is thus supposed to be extremely feeble. This lack of interest for legislative studies is also to be found in the specificities of French political sociology, which pays little attention to institutions. As a...
Despite real improvements since the beginning of the last decade, legislative studies are still underdeveloped in France, compared to other modern dem...
Over the last twenty years, the role of national parliaments in EU affairs has gained considerable academic attention. Much of the literature, however, has focused on parliamentary scrutiny and control in EU affairs. What tends to be generally overlooked is that the parliamentary communication function is at least as important in EU politics as the control function. Democratic legitimacy depends on a vibrant public debate on political solutions and alternatives to allow citizens to make informed political (electoral) choices and to exercise democratic control. Within the EU, it is...
Over the last twenty years, the role of national parliaments in EU affairs has gained considerable academic attention. Much of the literature, howe...
This book provides a comparative study of the legislatures of small nations, states and territories, to explore the extent to which size is a factor in how they function and fulfil the roles and responsibility of a legislature.
Though the physical nature and environment of states is a neglected subject in political science research, this book examines the impact of small state size on the structure and functions of legislatures and contributes to a better understanding of the interplay of physical and social factors. Focussing on legislatures in democratic nations or in territories...
This book provides a comparative study of the legislatures of small nations, states and territories, to explore the extent to which size is a facto...
The international economic crisis has hit Europe, especially its 'periphery', remarkably hard, and has had deep consequences at the economic and political levels. Since its onset, parties in parliament (especially those in opposition) have found themselves faced with a dilemma: choosing between the need to cooperate with the government in order to overcome the crisis and the opportunity provided by a weakened government to stress their adversarial position, so as to be more easily re-elected and possibly get into power. What have they decided to do? This is a crucial question, for which...
The international economic crisis has hit Europe, especially its 'periphery', remarkably hard, and has had deep consequences at the economic and po...
Notwithstanding the fact that among the parliaments of the world, 38 per cent have Second Chambers (67 out of 179), Second Chambers themselves have only rarely been the focus of attention from politicians and have almost totally been ignored by academics. This work sets about examining them.
Notwithstanding the fact that among the parliaments of the world, 38 per cent have Second Chambers (67 out of 179), Second Chambers themselves have on...
